


Power Rangers GPX Supercharged, Part 2

by DChan87



Series: Power Rangers GPX [4]
Category: Original Work, Power Rangers
Genre: Action/Adventure, Agender Character, American Character(s), Child Abuse, Clarke's Third Law, College, College Hockey, Doctor Who References, Elf/Human Relationship(s), Elves, Established Relationship, F/F, F/M, Feels, Gen, Grandparents & Grandchildren, Hate Sex, Hiding in Plain Sight, Hispanic Character, Humor, I'm Sorry Tolkien, Interspecies Romance, Irish Language, Japanese Character(s), Jokes, Mythology References, Native American Character(s), Original Character Death(s), Original Character(s), Original Universe, Pop Culture, Power of Friendship, Science Fiction, Snark, Superheroes, Tearjerker, United States, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Wisconsin - Freeform, Álfheimr | Alfheim
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-06-27
Updated: 2017-12-04
Packaged: 2018-04-06 09:59:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 28
Words: 140,312
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4217319
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DChan87/pseuds/DChan87
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The GPX Rangers are now college students! They join their Red Ranger at the University of Wisconsin-Madison for the spring semester. Of course, their Elven enemies are not going anywhere, and they have some new plan to deal with the Rangers. In order to fight the Elves, the Rangers will have to call on themselves and some new allies, too.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. One Month Later

Power Rangers GPX Supercharged, episode 24: One Month Later

:-:-:-: We're the best chance for humanity, Pow-wer Rang-gers G-P-X, let's go! :-:-:-:

Col. Alan Greene, United States Army, had a few reasons to feel good. After the December 24, 2010 Battle of Madison, his Project was now truly legitimized in the eyes of the public. It had been an eventful three months leading up to the Battle, especially after the first two months earlier in the summer. During that time, humanity had learned things that until 2010, had been considered to be simple sci-fi or fantasy.

First, they found out aliens did exist. Now, the existence of aliens is not too hard to imagine, when you think about it, given how big the universe is. It's the  _other_ discovery that still has humanity confused.

Elves.

That's right,  _Elves_. Col. Greene rubbed his face. He remembered when he got the first reports about Elves attacking Madison, Wisconsin. This couldn't be real! Elves came right out of a fantasy novel or a fairy tail or a Christmas movie for cryin' out loud, how can Elves exist? In his forty-something years, the African-American Colonel never thought the likes of elves could ever exist.

Well, they do and they've pretty much forced humans to face the realities of living on Earth. They were relentless, fanatical, determined to wipe humanity off the face of the Earth for the planet's own good.

However, someone stood up to them.

Five—er, make that  _seven_ ordinary people, that is.

They came from all corners of the globe, first brought together in Tokyo last May. They were trained by the Project Col. Greene helped lead for close to ten years to fight off the alien invasion that turned out to be First Contact. The other First Contact however, was not foreseen. These five—seven—should have had a peaceful life. But their elven enemy had other plans.

Col. Greene looked around the conference table. Top brass in the US Military sat on each side of the table. Their eyes were all on him. "This seems familiar," he said. "I hope you all know why we're here. So last month, much of the city of Madison, Wisconsin was damaged in a massive attack by elves, just two days before Christmas. It was part of a larger campaign by the elves against us humans, supposedly God's Will.

"They were of course, resisted by the Power Rangers. And, after suffering a major loss, the Power Rangers managed to counterattack with the help of a few civilians and the Queen of the Elves, and sent the attacking Elves away with their tails between their legs."

"A nice story," said one of the generals. "Why haven't these elves attacked yet? It's been a few weeks."

"Yes, well, we're not entirely sure," said Col. Greene, "We don't have any spies in their midst. We have, however, been monitoring their communications, and from the information our translators have given us, they've been rather quiet."

"I don't trust these translators," said one of the officers. "How do we know they don't have ulterior motives?"

"The translators we have do not have ulterior motives," said Col. Greene. "We do expect another attack, even with the lack of noise." Senator Evergreen must have been meeting with him.

"What about their queen?"

"I can't divulge that information," said Col. Greene. "What I can say is that she and her lover are in hiding and have taken on new identities."

"And the Power Rangers?"

"They'll be ready," said Col. Greene, "They're  _always_ ready."

:-:-:-: PRGPX :-:-:-:

Sean O'Callahan, Wisconsin hockey left winger, lay on his couch, sleeping. No, there was no reason for it. He just was. He looked like a picture of grace, with his left arm draped over his eyes, his right leg hanging off the seat and his left leg hooked over the back of the couch. Okay, so the author was being sarcastic. His dog, a Beagle named AJ, sat looking at him, with his head tilted to the side. "YIP!"

O'Callahan jumped up and sat up, looked around and sighed when he saw AJ. "Jesus Christ," he said to himself, getting a bit of his shaggy brown hair out of his brown eyes. "What is it, AJ? You want to go out?" The dog started wagging his tail and jumping around excitedly. "Figures." He jumped off the couch and led AJ to the foyer of his new house just a bit east of the UW campus.

He got his jacket on, a University letter jacket, which wasn't exactly flattering for his figure, which was athletic but not really buff or beefy. He put on a Chicago Bears beanie, which covered up much of his hair. His skin tone was fair, but with a hint of a tan from a July he spent down in Central Florida. He's 22 years old, and actually a little baby-faced and pretty handsome.

AJ was wearing a doggie jacket and boots, and Sean hooked his collar onto the leash. "Come on, boy!" he said in his Chicago accent.

Outside, Madison was covered in a blanket of snow… except for the streets, that is. It was a mixture of black and white, a little bit of trees and cars spattered the scenery. Compared with the romantic atmosphere of Christmas time, this scene will have you ask 'WHEN THE FUCK IS SPRING COMING!?'

He nodded his head at a passer-by while AJ turned a spot of snow yellow. When AJ was done, he pulled the dog in a different direction to walk northeast towards downtown. He felt a sting of pain on his forehead and reached for his iPhone so he could get a look at it.

A large, still-healing scar was on his forehead above his right eye. From a certain point of view, you'd think it looked a bit like Harry Potter's scar. However, it wasn't entirely lightning-bolt shaped. It just looked that way at an angle. No, it wasn't infected or bleeding, it just looked bad. Getting hit during a hockey game kinda irritated it.

Sean sighed, remembering the day he got the scar. It's likely he'll only tell a few people about how he got it.

AJ's whimpering and pawing at his jeans pulled him out of his reverie. He smiled and pulled AJ along. But his thoughts made him recognize he needed to get to a therapist soon.

After a couple more minutes walking the street, he led AJ back to the house and went inside. He took off his shoes, jacket and beanie and went into the kitchen of this McMansion on Langdon Street that doesn't exist in real-life Madison. No, he doesn't own the house. He's renting it with about 3 other people and a little help from his Miyazawa Foundation scholarship and one other person.

The kitchen was occupied as he walked in to grab a Muscle Milk from the fridge. The man was lithe and strikingly handsome, much more than a normal human was. Sean leaned backwards to get a look at the man, and snapped his fingers just to get his attention. He looked up at Sean with his blue eyes as if to silently ask him what he was doing.

"Whatcha lookin' at?" asked Sean.

"Your friend Kevin wanted me to read this," said the man, adjusting the beanie that covered much of his hair. " _The Silmarillion_."

"Probably for good reason," said Sean. "I wonder how the girls are doing?"

:-:-:-: Power Rangers GPX :-:-:-:

All the way on the other side of campus, a young woman, Karen Schmidt of West Allis, Wisconsin, could only stare in amazement at the assortment of merchandise that her new roommate had put up on her side of her dorm room at Elizabeth Waters Hall. "Holy crap," she said quietly. She ran her hand through her dark blond hair, her brown eyes darting left and right while her Japanese roommate put her things up.

A woman, who looked around 22, turned around and shrugged. The Latina woman said, "Sorry if we're making you nervous."

"It's… okay," said Karen.

"I'm Maria, by the way, Maria Aparicio," she reached to shake Karen's hand, which Karen shook. "Yes, I do know she's kind of strange like that."

"You say that like it's a bad thing," said the Native American woman next to her. Also in their crew was a young woman with brown hair and a beanie that she never took off at all.

"Of course it isn't," said Maria. "But I think your new roommate is kind of weirded out by you, Hitomi."

The Japanese girl turned around and saw Karen's very flustered expression, and then jumped off the chair she was standing on and walked over to her. "I'm sorry," she said. "Am I making you uncomfortable?"

"A little," said Karen.

Hitomi felt hurt by her roommate's confession, but then she stepped back and took a bow. " _Konnichiwa. Watashi was Miyazawa Hitomi desu. Hajimemashite?_ "

Karen looked around, wide-eyed and confused, before Maria mouthed to her what she just said. "Oh, um, I'm Karen Schmidt, I'm from West Allis, and I'm a freshman here."

"So am I!" said Hitomi.

"And me," said Maria, "But I'm a new transfer for this semester. I used to go to the University of Rio de Janeiro."

"I've been to Rio!" Karen lit up instantly. "Are you from Brazil?"

"Actually, I'm from Venezuela," said Maria. "I'd rather not talk about why I had to leave my home country, though. Maria's coffee-with-cream colored skin, a result of her mestizo heritage, glistened with the afternoon sun. "Could you please close that blind? It's getting in my eyes."

"Sorry," said Karen. "So, why does she…"

"I like anime," Hitomi said with a hurt tone of voice. "Don't you?"

"I… not really," said Karen.

"Don't get too worked up,  _chica,_ " Maria said while rubbing Hitomi's shoulders.

"I do kinda like Miyazaki movies, though."

"Which one!?" Hitomi jumped up and got in Karen's face, a lot of excitement was in her eyes. Hitomi's got a rather light skin tone and lighter hair, which makes her look like a J-Pop singer. She's also rather slender, a more average body build than Maria, who had a sort of Wonder Woman-esque build.

"Um,  _Spirited Away_?" Karen said.

"AAAAAH! That's my favorite!" Hitomi screamed.

"Relax,  _chica_ ," said Maria. "Oh, and I guess we should introduce these other two. This woman here is Janet Redwater, she's from the Six Nations Reserve in Ontario."

"Nice to meet you," said Janet.

"And this lovely woman here is Lizzie Kingson," said Maira.

"It is a pleasure to meet you," she said with a lilting, melodic voice that almost sounded too lilting and melodic to be human. In fact, Karen could have sworn that Lizzie's hair was dyed.

"So, what's up with her?" she asked, pointing at Lizzie.

"What are you talking about?" asked Maria. "Oh, I'm sorry, she's a singer, wonderful soprano voice, I might add."

"Uh-huh. Be honest, what's her story?"

"There is no story!" Janet said with a laugh. "Oh, uh, you know what, I think we need to go, I have to get to the rink so I can get my ice time in."

"Are you a figure skater?" asked Karen, "I love figure skating! Can I come?"

"Uh, no! No!" Janet vehemently refused and pushed Maria and Lizzie out of Hitomi's room, which left the two new roommates alone.

"So, Hitomi," said Karen, "How's it going?"

"That was a close one," Janet said once they left Waters Hall. Cars had lined the street as the students were beginning to move back in for the Spring Semester at UW. Sweat glistened on her copper-toned skin. "Jeez, Lizzie almost got caught."

"I did not know she was going to be suspicious," said Lizzie. "Is she a—"

"Doubt it," said Maria. "Let's get back to the house, I'm hungry."

"Agreed," said Janet, "But really, I do need to get to the rink soon. My skating coach is going to have a fit if I'm late."

"You know, I never said how great it was that you have an actual reason for an excuse," said Maria.

"Why thank you very much," said Janet.

:-:-:-: PRGPX :-:-:-:

There was another gathering in the west side of Madison, a couple blocks west of Camp Randall Stadium, but just as informal… in terms of the dress of at least two of the men seated at the table, that is. Two men, both in their mid-twenties, with short hair, one dark blond and one light brown, looked awkwardly at the Japanese man, who didn't look much older than Sean, sipped his tea, indifferent to the stares of the other two.

"Um, is that suit absolutely necessary?" the dark blond-haired one asked in an Irish accent.

"Of course it is," said the Japanese man, "I have a meeting with a potential investor later today, O'Donnell-san."

"You know me as Kevin," he said. "We've known each other since May,  _Daisuke_."

"Yes, well, I apologize," said Daisuke. "What do you think, Jackson-san?"

"It's Rob," he replied.

"Forget it Rob," said his wife, Bridget, and Sean's sister. "You've seen how he tends to grate on Sean's nerves, haven't you?"

"Of course I do," said Rob. "And right now, he's lucky I'm only on duty on the weekdays. Thank the Union!"

"I just hope those Scott Walker rumors aren't true," said Bridget, "I know he campaigned on it, but it had better be just talk."

"If Walker went after police and fire unions he would be committing political suicide," said Kevin. "Relax Rob, you're fine."

"But I'm a public employee! I work for the university!" said Bridget. Kevin's eyes widened while he took a sip of his tea.

"Oh, dear."

"Relax," said Daisuke.

"Yeah, you can say that when your livelihood isn't on the line," said Bridget. "And not only that, we have  _other_ issues. For one thing, I'm concerned my veteran husband is starting to show symptoms of PTSD, and of course, you three have the  _other_ enemy to deal with."

"We haven't had to deal with that in a while," said Kevin. "I wonder what they're planning."

"Whatever it is, it must be dealt with," said Daisuke. "We have grown complacent ever since the attack on the Capitol."

"We were prepared the last time it happened," said Kevin, "Kinda."

"That 'kinda' doesn't inspire a whole lot of confidence," said Bridget.

Kevin, who has the build of a small rugby player, sighed through his nose and fingered the handle on his tea mug. His brown eyes looked around the kitchen, eyeing the Northwestern degree that Bridget held, framed on the wall near the fridge. He rubbed his rather fair skin, and then sighed. "Sorry."

"Look at us," Bridget laughed, "We're under threat by Elves and we're arguing about labor rights."

"It's fine," said Rob. "Kevin, how excited are you to be going to grad school now?"

"I'm glad to have the chance," he said. "I thought I was here to discuss that, though." He eyed Daisuke out of his peripheral vision.

"I apologize for being rude," said Daisuke. He was rather handsome like Sean, but a little more on the plain side, which didn't really matter to him in the long run. His black hair was combed perfectly, and suit masked his also athletic, but slender form as well. Contrasted with his sister, he was basically your average Japanese citizen… except he's exceptionally wealthy. "But I also enrolled at the University semester."

"Perfect," Kevin said with sarcasm dripping from his mouth. "I can't believe he has to live with us again. How we survived with Rich Boy in the house I'll never understand."

"If I am not wanted, I shall leave," said Daisuke.

"Except you have to ride with me," said Kevin.

"It's the sad truth," said Rob. A former active-duty-now-reservist Marine, Rob had a just as impressive physique as Kevin, albeit a little more downplayed. He was in his mid-twenties like Kevin and Bridget, but you could tell he'd been through some rough patches during his time in Iraq and Afghanistan, especially in his worn-out blue eyes. His skin had the last remnants of a light tan he got during his time as a Marine. His light brown hair was still cut short.

"Sorry, Rich Boy," said Bridget.

:-:-:-: Power Rangers GPX :-:-:-:

"How the fuck does anybody read this thing?" Ritchie Metoxen, age 22 of Green Bay, Wisconsin asked while examining Kevin's copy of  _Les Misérables_ _that he helped purchase for the Irishman's birthday. He dropped the book and it hit the floor with a light thud. The right-winger for the Badger hockey team_ picked it up and looked it over again.

"Maybe I should give it a try," he said. He opened it up and tried to give it a read, but noticed a bookmark somewhere in the 700-page range. Kevin was still reading it. But, he might as well start at the beginning.

The Oneida Indian's brown eyes scanned the text as he read about Bishop Myriel of Digne. Come on, get to the good part, he thought. Patience, Richard, there's a reason they call it 'The Brick'. Don't expect to finish it in a single setting.

"Ah!" he groaned, dropping the book on the couch. So what could he do? There was nothing on TV, his beloved Packers were not playing and there was no good hockey game on right now. He looked at The Brick again and decided that he wasn't going to wait for Jean Valjean to show up, so he looked around the bookshelf above the TV to find a good book.

There was a book on Norse Mythology, which he decided to give a good look. Might as well expand his mythological horizons. He sat down with the book and skimming through the pages. There was a chapter on Elves, and he took a look at it. Apparently Dark Elves are actually Dwarves. There must have been a few changes in the depictions as the years went on. He wondered how the Norse could have met the Elves long ago. Weren't they supposed to be hiding?

He got to the end of the book and found a passage on Ragnarok, the end of the world. "Jeez, these guys love destruction," he said to himself. He scoffed when he found out there was only supposed to be two people left in the world after hiding out in Yggdrasil. "And I thought Christians were Armageddon-crazy," he said to himself.

Ritchie rubbed his face, his skin tone copper…ish. He's full-blooded Native, a point which fills him with pride, but as you will (hopefully) see, he still considers people of half-Native descent Indians. Although he had little patience for obviously fake Indians. His black hair was rather short, about medium-length. He once had a ponytail but Coach Granger made him cut it before hockey season started. And just like Sean, he had an athletic build, but rather small for a hockey player, but since his game is speed-based, it makes sense. By the way, don't expect him to wear braids, beads or buckskins. He'll most likely be wearing Packer gear, although you'll see why.

He continued to look through the book, and he came across the part about Loki. He started laughing and then really broke out laughing.

"What the hell is so funny, Metoxen!?" Sean shouted from the kitchen.

"One of Kevin's Norse Mythology books!" said Ritchie. "Apparently, the god Loki turned himself into a horse and got pregnant!"

"Dude, what?" Sean asked, rushing into the room. "I didn't know about that!" The beanie-wearing dude also came into the room, curious about what Ritchie was talking about. Sean walked over to the couch. Ritchie pointed at the passage, and Sean burst out laughing. "Oh my god! And I thought Greek Mythology was strange." All mythology is strange, really. "What else is interesting?"

"Ragnarok made me chuckle," said Ritchie.

"And it looks like you tried to read Les Mis, too," said Sean. "You get bored?"

"I'm already bored," said Ritchie.

"You want to play Smash Bros Brawl?" asked Sean.

"You're on!" Ritchie clapped his hands while Sean rushed for the Wii.

"I call Link!" said Sean.

"Damn FIB!" Ritchie groaned. However, he took off his hoodie and straightened out his gold long-sleeve Packer shirt.

"Oh, you gotta be kidding me," said Sean. Yes, the Bears-Packers rivalry will be played out by proxy here. Just a short explanation: Sean is from the South Side of Chicago (Beverly neighborhood, to be exact) and Ritchie is a native (no pun intended) of Green Bay. "By the way, here's a controlled, why don't you play?" he asked the other guy.

"Which one is Link?" The dude wearing the beanie asked.

"The elven-looking dude in green," Sean said, pointing at the guy on the battle select screen. "Yeah, I know elves are real, but this guy's not an elf, he's Hylian." The guy in the beanie sighed and picked Pikachu. Ritchie went with Samus.

The new guy wiped the floor with them.

"OH, COME ON!" Sean shouted, nearly throwing his Wiimote. Ritchie just glared at the new guy and shook his head with disapproval.

"I win?" he asked.

"Jeez, when's Maria getting back?" asked Sean.

Right on cue, "HEY! Sorry we took so long!" The Venezulean woman said as she burst into the room carrying a bag of groceries. Sean shrugged and got up, strode over to her and wrapped his arms around her in a big bear hug. "Nice to see you too," she said. She was about to say something else, but Sean gave her a big kiss, cutting her off. "Wow."

"Get a room you two," said Ritchie.

"I keep hearing that, is that a human expression?" asked the new guy.

"Okay, fine, we'll stop with the PDA," said Sean.

But when Lizzie entered the room, the new guy got up, walked over to her and gave her a passionate kiss. "Get a fucking room!"

"What do you mean by 'get a room'?" Lizzie asked, "You keep using that phrase, what does it mean?"

"It means you two are getting too lovey-dovey," said Ritchie, "Because we don't want to be in the same room with you when bow-chika-wow-wow starts playing."

"No, just you," said Maria. Ritchie looked over at a coy Maria and a very flustered Sean, new guy and Lizzie.

"You didn't," said Ritchie.

"Well, maybe—"

"Okay, okay!" Ritchie said, "Let's keep playing Smash Bros!"

"I call Link!" said Sean.

"WILL YOU STOP CALLING HIM!?" Ritchie shouted.

"What, have you ever played Legend of Zelda?" Sean asked.

"No."

"Then let the local Zelda fan play as him," said Sean.

"I call Samus!" said Maria.

"Oh, COME ON!"

"Let's do two-v-two!" said Maria.

"Oh, I like that idea!" Ritchie proclaimed. "But lemme guess, you two are—"

"Bingo," said Sean.

"Correct," said Maria.

"Fine," said Ritchie.

This time it was Sean and Maria who did the floor wiping. Link and Samus basically demolished Pikachu and Pit, leaving the couple celebrating while Ritchie fumed in anger, threatening to break his Wiimote in half and glaring at the new guy. "That's it! We're playing Madden! I'll be the Pack, you're the fucking Bears!"

"You're on!" said Sean. But then he stopped and remembered something. "Holy shit, Da Bearsss are on right now!" Ritchie screamed, while Sean rushed off and grabbed a Bears jersey from his room.

"THAT'S IT! I'M GOING TO MY ROOM!" Ritchie bellowed as he stormed out of the TV room.

"Yeah, yeah, don't let the door hit you on the way out!" Sean replied.

It was around that time a young man of African extraction hobbled by on crutches while Ritchie stormed out of the TV room. "What was that about?" he asked in a South African accent.

"Sorry about that, Ndebele," said Sean, "He's just pissed off. How's your back doing?"

"It was feeling better," said Aaron, "But thanks to your bickering, it feels like shit."

"Sorry," said Sean.

"And why are those two still wearing hats?" Aaron pointed at Lizzie and the new guy.

The couple looked at each other and shrugged, and then pulled off their hats. Remember that Queen mentioned earlier? She's Queen of the Elves. And she just pulled off her hat, revealing her pointed ears, and it was the same story with the curly-haired dude. These are Queen Eruvanda II and her lover, the former general Arquen.

And, if you're smart, you've probably recognized that Sean, Maria and Ritchie are Power Rangers, as are Hitomi, Kevin, Daisuke and Rob. Apologies for playing coy, but it's a habit.

"Well, we're not expecting anyone," said Sean.

"Lizzie almost got caught," said Maria. "Hitomi's new roommate mentioned she didn't sound human."

"It is not my fault," said Eruvanda.

"We're not blaming you!" said Sean. "Now that I think about it, Eruvanda probably needs to work on casual speech patterns."

"What about Gina?" asked Eruvanda.

"Well, she did live among humans her entire life," said Maria. Gina is one of Hitomi's friends, who is still attending high school (since Hitomi only needed one semester of high school to graduate, she attended Madison West for one semester) whose parents defected from Alfheim before Gina was born.

"Yeah, she wasn't royalty," said Sean. "Guess it's a little hard to break that habit. We'll have the others come over later so we can have a meeting, but first—DAAA BEARRSSS!"

:-:-:-: PRGPX :-:-:-:

A couple hours later, the Rangers had gathered in the TV room of the McMansion Sean was renting out. Everyone was there: Sean, Kevin, Daisuke, Maria, Hitomi, Rob, Ritchie and Aaron.

With the exception of Rob, all of them were trained by the United Nations in order to defend Earth from threats to humanity, both internal and external. Although external came first, as they had to fight the Zordonian Empire, a stellar empire that originated on Earth and came to reclaim their ancestral homeworld. They sent them running with their tails between their legs.

And then the Elves showed up.

Once again, they fought hard and just last month, sent the Elvish Commander Ragnar running with his tail between his legs, but as Sean is about to say, "I know it's been a while—a couple weeks—since Ragnar attacked, but we should stay on our guard."

"Obviously," said Ritchie.

"Please don't interrupt me, Metoxen," said Sean. "Okay, the Japan Five—me, Kevin, Rich Boy, Maria and Hitomi—are back together, so this should be an interesting dynamic. But whatever!"

"SWORD says they haven't heard any chatter from Alfheim," said Kevin. SWORD, the Strategic Worldwide Organization for Reconnaissance and Defense, is their current employer.

"They're subtle," said Sean. "Now that I think about it, we should have captured someone. But then again, we already have two Elven guests who don't know what Ragnar was planning. Yeah, that helps."

"They'll be gluttons for punishment if they come for us," said Rob.

"Of course they are," said Sean. "We're the Power Rangers. We don't quit, we don't surrender, and most importantly, we don't lose."

"That does not address our situation," said Daisuke.

"Did I ask you for your opinion, Rich Boy?" asked Sean. "You pissed me off in Japan, see how that ended?"

"I was enjoying myself," said Daisuke.

Sean scoffed and rolled his eyes, unhappy with the Green Ranger's attitude. "Whatever. Also, hockey season ends March. Hopefully we'll win it all, but I understand we might crash out in the WCHA playoffs. I don't want that to happen, of course."

"And neither do I," said Ritchie. Hey, they're hockey players. They wanna win.

Oh, and one more bit of infodump before we get back on track. Sean is an American from Chicago, Kevin is from Dublin, Maria was born and raised in Caracas, but lived in Rio for a couple years, Daisuke and Hitomi are from Kyoto, Aaron is from Johannesburg, and Rob is from Naperville, Illinois. Sean is Red, Kevin Blue, Dasiuke Green, Maria Yellow, Hitomi Pink, Rob Silver and Ritchie Gold. Are we up to speed? Alright, let's get going.

"Anything else we should be worried about?" asked Sean.

"What about those other Project Ranger trainees?" asked Kevin. Project Ranger is the codename for the operation and project that trained the Rangers and provides support both tactically and technically.

"Oh, that's right," said Sean. "Okay, so we have one suspect as of right now, and that's my cousin Jimmy. Other than that,  _pbbbt_!" He blew a raspberry and gave a 'thumbs down' to emphasize the fact they didn't know shit.

It was not something they wanted to hear. "Thanks a lot SWORD," said Ritchie. "Why won't they tell us who it is?"

"Because they're assholes," said Sean. "How the hell did the UN know about us?"

"Miyazawa had your resumes on file," said Daisuke.

"Interesting," said Sean. "Alright, meeting adjourned."

"Hitomi, why don't you ride with me?" asked Rob. Hitomi nodded, with Daisuke opening his mouth to object but sighed and resigned himself to his sister's choice. "By the way, is everyone excited to finally be starting American college?"

"Of course!" said Hitomi.

"Yes," said Maria.

"Yes," Aaron added.

"I can't wait," said Kevin. "Some of the Irish students invited me to play some rugby with them."

"Sounds fun," said Sean.

Rob and Hitomi left the house, and now there were still six Rangers (one former) and two Elves left in the house. "Alright, what do you guys want to watch?"

"We have  _Gatchaman_ and  _Jetman_ ," Daisuke said, pointing at the DVD box sets.

"No, not those," said Sean. "How about…  _Blues Brothers_!"

" _Aye_!" Everyone but Daisuke raised their hands in agreement and Sean pumped his fist, grabbing the DVD of the classic movie and putting it in the DVD player.

Don't think that this is a one-shot. This is just the beginning of the second half of the Rangers' battle with the Elves. So strap in tight and get ready. This is  _Power Rangers GPX Supercharged_ , Part 2!

:-:-:-: Power Rangers GPX :-:-:-:

Sean VO: "Next time on  _Power Rangers GPX Supercharged_!"

Sean: "First day of classes!"

Ragnar: "They have grown complacent."

Tirna: "Let me handle them."

Maria: "Who are you?"

Hitomi: "He's real nice!"

Sean: "Back for more, huh?"

Sean VO: "That's next time on  _Power Rangers GPX Supercharged_!"


	2. A New Semester

Kevin VO: "Last time on  _Power Rangers GPX Supercharged_!"

Col. Greene: "The Power Rangers sent the attacking Elves away."

Hitomi: ( _To her new roommate_ ) "Sorry if we're making you nervous."

Karen Schmidt: ( _About Lizzie_ ) "Be honest, what's her story?"

Daisuke: "We have grown complacent ever since the attack on the Capitol."

Ritchie: " _Ragnarok made me chuckle."_

_Sean: "We should stay on our guard… We already have two Elven guests who don't know what Ragnar was planning."_

_Power Rangers GPX Supercharged, episode 25: A New Semester_

_:-:-:-: We're the best chance for humanity, Pow-wer Rang-gers G-P-X, let's go! :-:-:-:_

Boiling hot water poured out of the tea kettle, turning a dark color while mixing with the tea leaves in the ceramic pot. Kevin put the kettle back on the stove and grabbed his copy of the _Wisconsin State Journal_ and began to read while waiting for the tea to be just the right color.

While Kevin's love of tea has been emphasized a bit lately, it must be said that if there is any culture in the British Isles that truly loves its tea, it is the Irish. The English tea culture is certainly famous for good reasons, but the Irish drink more tea per capita than any country on Earth. Kevin is simply partaking in a favorite pastime both culturally and personally. Yes, he really  _does_ love his tea.

So Kevin checked on the tea and smiled, knowing that the tea was ready. He took the tea pot and poured the tea into his mug. He was dressed for the occasion, wearing a sweater vest, Dockers and a tie. Today was the first day of classes for all eight of the Power Rangers, and his first day as a Teaching Assistant.

He added some cream and sugar to his tea, then took a sip. It was heavenly, as usual! He smiled to himself at another job well-done. "Well look at you!" Kevin turned to the side as Sean strolled into the kitchen, looking over his friend. "Mr. Scholar. Maria was just talking about how she envies how you've become a teacher before her."

"A shame," Kevin said.

Rather than sharing in Kevin's oh-so-Irish breakfast, Sean went with the All-American bowl of cereal. There was some Cinnamon Toast Crunch in the cabinet that he took out. "So what are you teaching?"

"English classes," said Kevin. "I'll be teaching a language and linguistics class. I wanted to teach a literary studies class but I have to complete my first year before I can do that. The linguistics program is temporary."

"Oh, that's nice," said Sean. "What do you expect to teach?"

"We have a syllabus," said Kevin. The others followed into the kitchen, and began getting their breakfasts ready.

"So, is everyone ready for the first day of classes?" Sean asked. "Yeah, I know it's a little wonky starting on Tuesday, but yesterday was MLK Day.

"It's too early," said Aaron.

"Too bad," said Sean. "Everybody chose morning classes, like me and Metoxen, after all." Ritchie shook his head to chastise Maria and Aaron.

"As well as I," said Daisuke.

"Don't tell me," Sean groaned.

"My last class for the day ends at noon," said Daisuke. "Yes, I also enrolled."

"Well, AJ doesn't seem to like him very much," said Sean. "Eh, he likes Arquen and Lizzie, so he can watch while they plan a coup or something. I think they're planning a coup, I'm just not sure how they can do it with just them."

"If they have allies in Alfheim, then it's certainly possible," said Kevin.

:-:-:-: PRGPX :-:-:-:

The bad part is, they only have one ally, and he's just a colonel. Tiris can't do a whole lot.

The Elves are very militaristic, with the monarch as the supreme ruler, although not quite a God, but simply chosen by God. In this sense it makes their society very much like Imperial Japan with the military uniforms of 1871 Prussia. The leader of the military is an Elf by the name of Ragnar, his title "The Terrible". Yeah, he's a nice guy. The son of a bitch is a racist who can't see the good things humans have done, is a religious fanatic who believes that his battle is the Will of God.

We find Ragnar walking into the throne room of the new King Eärello, the cousin of Eruvanda. Eärello looked up at Ragnar, a mad gleam in his eyes. Imagine King Joffrey of  _Game of Thrones_ , if you want to have an idea of his appearance, but it is not entirely necessary. Ragnar kneeled before the King and spoke. "We are finally ready to launch an attack against the Power Rangers," said Ragnar. "They have grown complacent in the weeks since we attacked."

"What has been the delay?" Eärello asked, impatience bubbling up in his voice.

"The uprising on the University campus and the Suitroop production had fallen behind," said Ragnar. Blond hair, blue eyes and a white complexion was Ragnar's appearance, and given how Elves can live rather long lives, his age is likely far older than his appearance.

"Damn," Eärello said under his breath, "And another question, why did you not kill all the students who rebelled against  _my_ kingship?"

"They said they rebelled out of anger at our loss on the human day of Christmas Eve," said Ragnar, "They were only doing their patriotic duty, at least that is what the courts said."

"Damn the courts," said Eärello. "I should have killed them all myself! NO ONE defies my rightful kingship!"

"Please calm yourself, my King," said Ragnar. Eärello began to calm down and slouched back in his throne. "If it will make you feel better, I can bring you along some time."

Eärello bit his lip and smiled, nodding his head. "It would be so gratifying," he said.

"As you wish, your majesty," said Ragnar. "I shall prepare an attack force to notify the Power Rangers that we are committed to our Holy Mission." He stood and departed the throne room to prepare for the attack on the Rangers.

After a few minutes, Ragnar arrived at his office. Two very familiar faces to the Rangers were waiting. The first was Phaedos, a physical clone of the  _Sailor Moon_ villain Jadeite. The other was Tirna, also a physical clone of the  _Sailor Moon_ villain Zoisite. Both of them are Zordonians, the stellar empire the Rangers fought off in May, June and July of 2010. They're not here on behalf of the empire, just to get back at the Rangers.

"Well?" asked Phaedos.

"Túrelie has a smaller-scale attack planned," said Ragnar.

"Let me handle them," a hair-twirling Tirna volunteered.

"Are you positive?" asked Ragnar.

"Of course," said Tirna. "I'll let Túrelie handle the next one."

"Then I'll take out those shit-eating students," said Phaedos.

"As much as I want to, the legal system already cleared them of all charges," said Ragnar. "I want this to be legitimate."

"You're no fun," said Phaedos.

"I am not supposed to be  _fun_ ," said Ragnar. "And before I forget, if you even attempt to betray me once, I will make you regret it. Is that clear?"

Phaedos growled, but Ragnar had something else.

"If you do follow my orders, I will let you get your chance to kill the Rangers," he said.

"Much better," said Phaedos. "Show them what you can do, Tirna."

:-:-:-: Power Rangers GPX :-:-:-:

So, as it's been made clear, today was the first day of classes for all of the Rangers, not just Sean and Ritchie. None of them probably expected to be attending UW, but you know what Forrest Gump said about life. So this particular box o' chocolates had them waking up at ungodly hours in the morning and hurrying to the University of Wisconsin campus to get to their first classes.

Sean had an anthropology class at 9 in the morning. Kevin had to teach his first class at 10. Maria had a class at 9, as did Ritchie. Hitomi would be taking an English class at 10 (not the same one as Kevin's). Daisuke's business class was at 9 and Aaron had a sociology class at 9:30.

Sean, Maria, Kevin and Ritchie took Sean's Chevy Cobalt. Aaron got a ride with Daisuke Toji-san, and this was mainly out of necessity. A Cobalt isn't very big, after all. Hitomi? She lives on campus, it wasn't necessary.

"I hate parking," Sean said, getting out of the car.

"Maybe we should have walked," added Ritchie.

"Hindsight is 20/20," said Kevin. "I have to get to the office in the Humanities Building. I'll talk to you later."

"Let's figure out what time we're gonna meet up!" said Sean. He checked his iPhone to be sure of the time. "Okay, how about ten after noon? We can either get something at State Street or Der Rathskellar."

"Der Rathskellar," said Maria. "It's too cold."

"Fair enough," said Sean. "I'll text Rich Boy, Ndebele and Hitomi."

"It's decided?" asked Ritchie.

"It's decided," said Sean. "Der Rathskellar, ten after noon."

"Alright!" said Ritchie.

The group split up on their way to their respective classes. Sean's class was in the Sewell Social Sciences Building, Maria and Kevin's in the Humanities Building and Ritchie had to go to Van Hise Hall. However, Kevin said that he had to got to Helen C. White Hall so he meet his fellow English faculty. Now Kevin also has Grad School classes to attend, but the class he teaches is on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays.

Maria stuffed her hands in her jacket while she crossed over the footbridge that connected Bascom Hill and the Humanities Building. As mentioned in the last chapter, the time for a "romantic" winter was over and now it was the time to suffer until spring arrived. Thankfully she was prepared for the weather. No sneakers this time!

It was such a relief when she got inside, that she took a moment to savor the warmth of the building. Then suddenly someone shoved her out of the way. " _Oi! Que es esto?_ "

" _Lo siento!_ " the woman, apparently her age, replied. Maria looked at her for a moment and saw the Argentina Football Association's crest on her beanie and from the look of it, she was definitely Argentine. South American rivalries kicked in and she flipped the woman off but noticed she wasn't looking. It wasn't worth it.

Maria found her classroom, although it was rather difficult. The class was filled with people and her professor was organizing some papers on his desk. Maria took her seat in the second row…

… Right next to the Argentine woman. "Who the hell are you?" she asked.

"What?" the Argentine woman replied.

"Excuse me, this is a classroom, not a fight ring," said the professor, who had a very familiar face. "Well, since it's 9 o'clock, we might as well get started. Good morning, my name is Russell Fox. I'll be your teacher for the next four months. For those of you just starting, I'd like to welcome you to the School of Education.

"I probably know a couple of you," he counted them, and his finger came to Maria before moving on, "But don't expect me to go easy on any of you. I have to be fair, after all. So, my teaching assistants are going to pass out your syllabi, and we'll look it over…"

An hour later the class ended. The Argentine woman left before Maria could talk to her. The other classmates also left before Maria could leave, and then she felt someone grab her shoulder. "Hello, Maria," said Mr. Fox.

Maria waited until everyone was gone and she said, "Hello, Rusco."

Rusco is an Elven general who defected some twenty years ago out of fear that Ragnar would do terrible things to him and his family. "I noticed you getting confrontational with one of my students."

"Sorry, she bumped into me," said Maria.

"Please don't do that," said Rusco. While he is an Elf, his ears were modified so now they look very human. "Also, how is Hitomi doing?"

"She has a new roommate," said Maria. "I'll be meeting her at noon."

"Tell her I said 'hello'," said Rusco. Then Professor Fox (no, he does not have a split personality) showed up again. "Please behave yourself in my class. I already like you, don't mess things up."

"Sorry," said Maria.

:-:-:-: PRGPX :-:-:-:

Der Rathskellar is pure Wisconsin. It's located in the Memorial Union, with doors that open up to the famous terrace. The restaurant is a recreation of beer halls from Southern Germany/Bavaria, right down to German text and murals dotting the walls. The moment you step in, you'd be forgiven in assuming you've just gotten off the plane in Germany it's that authentic. And yes, they serve alcohol, but only after 3:00 on Tuesdays. When the author says it's pure Wisconsin, he means it. It's no secret that Wisconsinites love beer. I've had a few Wisconsinites make that joke to me.

But it's also a restaurant, a la carte that serves from pretty good stuff. The last time the author visited Madison, I had a moment to have some food there. It's pretty good.

When Daisuke first walked in, he really did look around thinking he'd been teleported to Munich. That ended when someone wearing a Bucky Badger hat walked past. With a shrug, Daisuke walked in and found Ritchie waiting in line for some food.

"It's too cold," said Daisuke. "I would rather eat in here."

"It's not that cold, you pussy," Ritchie muttered.

"Well, you are from this state, this is nothing for you," said Daisuke.

"Oh yeah, that's true," Ritchie laughed.

A few minutes later, the two had sat down with the others at a table in the corner near the arched entrance having their lunch. "So, how'd everyone's classes go?" asked Sean. "Mine went well."

"I found out Shevchenko is in my class," said Kevin. Shevchenko is one of Sean's teammates on the UW hockey team. "It went rather well, the students were well-behaved."

"Mine were okay, but some Argentine woman bumped into me," said Maria, "And Rusco is teaching one of my classes."

"Oh, that's nice," said Kevin. "I'll have to meet with him."

"I like my class!" said Hitomi. "And I liked my professor, too! He's real nice!"

"What are you studying?" asked Aaron.

"Business," said Hitomi.

"Following the family tradition, are you?" asked Sean. Hitomi nodded, and Sean shrugged while drinking his bottle of Babcock Hall milk.

"I thought I was going to get out early, but my professor made us stay the whole damn time," Ritchie groaned. "At least we have practice to look forward to today."

"Yeah, cuz you're kinda losing it, Metoxen," Sean taunted. "You need to work on your speed, you're starting to look like a cherry picker, and your deking is starting to suck."

"Shut up, you FIB," said Ritchie. "Quit chirping and leave it on the ice. And what I do with my twig is none of your business, hoser!"

"What did they just say?" asked Daisuke.

"Hockey speak, don't ask," said Maria.

" _You_ quit chirpin', you never beat me in anything important back in the USHL!" Sean continued.

"You got lucky!"

"Nah, I was better! And now I know it kills you to know that we're on the same team!"

" _Enough!_ " Kevin shouted. "Honestly, you two are acting like  _eed-jits_! It's in the past, just let it go."

"But it's so  _fun_ to piss Metoxen off," said Sean.

"Thunderin' Jaysus," Kevin muttered while facepalming.

:-:-:-: Power Rangers GPX :-:-:-:

Outside on Library Mall, there were flashes of blue light and bolts of electricity shot out of the air. A whirlwind of cherry tree petals also appeared. Passers-by stopped for a moment before remembering what this was. They'd seen this enough over the past several months to recognize this would only lead to bad things. Indeed, once the first Suitroops appeared, everyone began to _RUN_.

The Suitroops are sleek, menacing, mechanical suits of armor the Elves use as shock troops. They carry energy staffs—weapons using powerful gems to fire blasts of energy at their opponent—and short swords. The Elves are not magical, but Clarke's Third Law is very much in play with them.

The one who leads them today, however, is not an Elf. Tirna is Zordonian. The Zordonians are the Rangers' old enemy, an alien species that originated on Earth but was run off the planet by a last alliance of men and Elves. They tried to re-conquer the planet last summer, but you can probably guess how well that went.

The hair-twirling Tirna surveyed the scene at Library Mall. Carnage; absolutely wonderful carnage. Now it was time to draw out the prey. "ATTACK!" Tirna cried. The Suitroops charged forward and attacked.

In the Memorial Union, the commotion was instant. University Police barged inside. "Everyone, please evacuate now!" one said. "The campus is under attack by Suitroops!"

The Rathskellar patrons began to leave, all except for six. Aaron got up to leave, but he covered the others enough so they could make their way out of the restaurant without being seen. They went downstairs and put their bags in some lockers and slipped out of Memorial Union, covering their faces.

Like ninjas they snuck across Langdon Street to take out the Suitroops. They snapped the Suitroops' necks like twigs as they crept across Library Mall. But, this made noises and Tirna quickly picked up the sound and the general turned and smiled evilly at the sight. "Surround them!" said the Zordonian.

The Suitroops surrounded the six of them and pointed their energy staffs at the Rangers. "Did you honestly think you could sneak up on me?" said Tirna, "Now that I know your disguises, Power Rangers!"

A sigh escaped Sean's lips. This was not getting any easier. It comes with familiarity, though. Still, he looked at everyone else and the next move was clear. They took out their AcceleKeys, pulled down their jacket sleeves and displayed their AcceleMorphers. Ritchie just pulled out his Gold Ranger Morpher. "Back for more, huh? You assholes never learn. YOU GUYS READY!?"

" _READY!_ "

" _GPX START IT UP!_ " They jammed their keys into the morphers, gave them a turn and a flash of light enveloped them for a moment. It faded and Tirna got a look at them.

They wore colored spandex; Red, blue, green, yellow, pink and gold. Their torsos, sleeves and boots were colored. Their pants were white (except for Gold) and a colored stripe ran down the pant leg. A series of broken stripes like on a road went down the sleeves, stopping at a black arm band just below the elbow that resembled a tire. A black tire also circled the top of the boots, just below the knee.

A pair of straps like racing car seat straps were connected from the shoulder to the flat-topped pentagon-shaped belt buckle which connected to a black utility belt (it should be noted that Gold had more of a jet theme to his, with wings on his glove and straps like a jet harness). Their helmets included sleek, black visors and were basically a combination of the  _Operation Overdrive_ and _Turboranger_ helmets.

On the chest, their insignia was a gold, motion-font number over a wheel (1 for red, 2 for blue, 3 for green, 4 for yellow, 5 for pink and 7 for gold, but his were over a pair of wings).

"GPX RED!" Sean shouted.

"GPX BLUE!" shouted Kevin.

"GPX GREEN!" said Aaron.

"GPX YELLOW!" shouted Maria.

"GPX PINK!" shouted Hitomi.

"GPX GOLD!" shouted Ritchie.

" _POWER RANGERS! GPX!_ " Ka-boom.

"I can see why they hate that part," said Tirna. "Alright, let's get this over with. Suitroops, get them!" The Suitroops charged forward to attack the Rangers. The Rangers kiai'd and charged forward to meet the Suitroops.

Sean wasted no time in plowing through the Suitroops. He blocked a punch and countered with a left hook. He threw a reverse roundhouse kick that was kick-blocked by a Suitroop, but a follow-up kick did the trick. He cartwheeled through a blizzard of Suitroop arms and legs, and then kicked at the Suitroops with a tornado-like move. He threw a one-two punch at a Suitroop and brought it down.

A Suitroop threw a punch, but Kevin ducked and elbowed the Suitroop in the gut. Then he grabbed the Suitroop and wrestled the Suitroop to the ground like he was in a rugby match. He stomped on the Suitroop and then he threw a punch at another one. Then he kneed the Suitroop in the gut. Next he threw a hard right hook at a Suitroop and kicked it in the head, which knocked the Suitroop's head off.

Daisuke did not run straight for the Suitroops. He let them come to him. In his defensive stance, he waited to kick the attacking Suitroop in the head. Then he threw a jab to the Suitroop's… jaw. He stepped aside to avoid a Suitroop, and then kicked it into a crowd of Suitroops. It felt so good being back in the Green suit after so many months away. He could enjoy himself and he went to take out more of them.

Maria dodged a Suitroop, then grabbed its arm and tossed it into the fountain in the middle of Library Mall. She blocked a Suitroop punch and countered with one of her own. Some Suitroops attacked from both sides, but she ducked and the two collided with each other. She stood and tried to backhand a Suitroop. The backhand was blocked, but she bent down and stood, throwing the Suitroop to the ground.

Energy staff blasts exploded around her, but Hitomi avoided each of them, cartwheeling and tumbling with the blasts going left and right. Then she lunged at a Suitroop, wrapped her arms around its neck and threw it to the ground. A Suitroop ran up to her, but she kicked it in the gut. She stood on her hands and spun, kicking the kicking the Suitroops all around her. Then she stood back up and punched a Suitroop.

Ritchie grabbed the arms of some Suitroops and pushed them back. He kicked a Suitroop. The kick was blocked, but he countered with a punch to the Suitroop's chest. He threw a one-two-three jab-hook-uppercut combo that took out three Suitroops. Then he threw a reverse roundhouse kick at a Suitroop. He turned and punched another Suitroop and then elbowed another one in the head and that's when he turned and saw Tirna laughing at them.

Tirna sat on the fountain, watching the fighting like it was a play. The general's legs crossed and the general turned to Sean, who was in the midst of fighting some Suitroops. Sean caught the Zordonian out of the corner of his eye.

Well, he wasn't happy so he kicked the Suitroops and turned towards Tirna. "Alright bitch, you're next!" Tirna's head whipped in Sean's direction right as he put up his fist and threw a punch at the Zordonian—

But the Zordonian disappeared in a whirlwind of cherry blossom petals. Sean tripped up and landed on the sidewalk visor-first. "Watch where you're going next time," Tirna taunted behind him. Sean growled and kicked the Zordonian general up and Tirna landed read-end first on the concrete.

"You Zordonians shouldn't have come back," said Sean. "And did you honestly think you could fool me with the fake ears?"

Tirna growled angrily and lashed out at Sean. The general threw a whirlwind of punches at Sean, all of which Sean dodged with a little bit of hockey footwork. Then Sean jumped behind Tirna and kicked the general in the back. "I didn't know it was gonna be this easy!" said Sean.

Meanwhile, Maria and Kevin had teamed up to take down some of the Suitroops. Maria threw a kick at a Suitroop, which the Suitroop blocked. But Kevin took advantage of the Suitroop's distraction and punched its gut. Then he grabbed the Suitroop and tossed it into the street where it broke into pieces. Suddenly, a Suitroop grabbed him from behind, but Maria was right there to rip the Suitroop off Kevin's back and punched it hard.

Now Ritchie hadn't worked with Hitomi in a tag team before, so this was new. But he knew how she fought, so he cupped his hands and vaulted her into the air when she jumped up. She twirled in the air while Ritchie took out a few Suitroops and then when she landed, she knocked as many as she could down. Then she got on her hands and spun like a top, kicking the Suitroops over to Ritchie as he took them out.

Daisuke, he just fought by himself. He blocked a Suitroop's arm as it brought it down on him. Then he grabbed the Suitroop, hooked his leg in between the Suitroop's and then ripped it out from under its own legs. Suddenly, his HUD alerted him to a Suitroop rushing in. He ducked and when he timed it right, he stood up and flipped the Suitroop on its back. Then he kicked a Suitroop in the chest.

"Come on, fight like a man… woman…er, trans… person?" Sean taunted. Tirna growled angrily at Sean, but wasn't moving. "Come on! Give it your best shot, asswipe! Are you gonna run?" Tirna angrily lashed out at Sean, but Sean grabbed Tirna's arm and twisted it behind the Zordonian's back. "This is easy!" said Sean.

"Easy!?" Tirna stomped on Sean's foot—hard. A cry of pain escaped Sean's mouth and Tirna found a chance to escape. Then the general kicked Sean in the chest. "You forget, I'm a Zordonian, human."

"And you fight dirty," said Sean. "That's okay, so do I. NOW!" A pair of arms wrapped themselves around Tirna's neck and pulled the general away from Sean. Ritchie then slammed Tirna to the ground, but the general's fall was cushioned by some of the snow that covered Library Mall.

"Um, is he a he or a she?" asked Ritchie. That question was not answered. Tirna elbowed Ritchie in the shoulder and got back up, kicking the Gold Ranger in the face.

A yellow blur flew past and Tirna dodged the punch, but Maria followed it up, throwing an upper-cut at Tirna. Tirna stumbled backwards, but Daisuke and Hitomi grabbed the Zordonian general's arms, which allowed Kevin to run up and throw a punch at Tirna. But then Tirna kicked Kevin in the groin, thankfully missing the important part.

Kevin recovered and threw a punch at Tirna's face, connecting hard. Tirna felt the stinging, swelling cheek. Some green began to creep into the picture and Tirna glared at Kevin. Tirna threw a punch at Kevin, which the Irishman blocked and countered. This one missed and Tirna stepped out of the way.

"Get outta here, Zordonian!" said Sean.

"No!" Tirna replied. Tirna kicked at Sean and he had to jump out of the way. Next Tirna threw a kick at Maria and had to block Ritchie's punch before jumping out of the way of Daisuke and Hitomi. The Rangers tried to reach Tirna, but the Zordonian general then pressed a button on some Elven device.

An energy staff materialized in Tirna's hand and the Zordonian pointed the staff at the Rangers. The gem in the staff began to glow blue. A blast of blue energy erupted from the gem. "SCATTER!" Sean shouted. The Rangers jumped out of the way right as the blast of energy struck the ground. Dirt, concrete and snow flew in all directions. More blasts followed.

Tirna had the Rangers pinned and now it was the right time to deliver a warning. "I came to show you that we're not done!" said Tirna.

"That's it!?" said Ritchie. "I thought you—"

"Were after something?" Tirna finished. "No, not yet." Then Tirna smiled evilly. "But the end is coming for you, someday, somewhere. And when it happens, I'll be there laughing at your demise!"

Tirna had stopped shooting, which gave Sean a chance. He stood up, rushed Tirna and punched the Zordonian in the cheek that  _wasn't_  bruised. "You think that's gonna scare us?" Sean replied, grabbing Tirna's collar. "We're Power Rangers. We don't quit, we don't surrender, and most importantly of all, we do not fucking lose. You tell Ragnar that we'll take whatever he throws at us and we'll kick his ass. But," He raised his fist and prepared to kill Tirna.

But Tirna teleported, and Sean only connected with thin air. He growled, but recognized this job was never easy.

:-:-:-: PRGPX :-:-:-:

"That was all?" Eruvanda asked later that day.

"Whatever Ragnar wants, he's in no hurry," said Sean. He looked at the other Rangers, who'd all gone back to their civilian forms. Ritchie was lounging on his couch, Hitomi sitting at the foot of the couch while Maria just sharpened a knife. Kevin was not there. He still had to do some work on campus.

"Of course," said Eruvanda. "He made that perfectly clear."

"So who does that particular Zordonian look like, Hitomi?" asked Maria.

"Zoisite," said Hitomi.

"Who?" asked Ritchie.

" _Sailor Moon_ baddie," said Sean. "But don't expect to go chasing after magical gems anytime soon."

"I wish I could assist you in anyway," said Arquen. "But I suppose Ragnar never trusted me."

"Damn," said Ritchie. "O'Callahan, we should be going to practice soon."

"It's at 3," said Sean. "Well, it's a good thing it's only the beginning of the semester. We still have plenty of time to figure out what they're doing."

"I would imagine so," said Eruvanda.

:-:-:-: Power Rangers GPX :-:-:-:

Daisuke: "Forthcoming on  _Power Rangers GPX Supercharged_!"

Ragnar: "I need you to do something for me."

Phaedos: "What is it?"

Hitomi: "He's amazing!"

Ritchie: "The hell does that mean?"

Kevin: "Shevchenko!"

Monster: "Let me at 'em!"

Daisuke: "That is forthcoming on  _Power Rangers GPX Supercharged_!"


	3. The Errand

Maria VO: "Last time on  _Power Rangers GPX Supercharged_!"

Sean: "Is everyone ready for first day of classes?"

Ragnar: "I shall prepare an attack force to notify the Power Rangers that we are committed to our Holy Mission."

Tirna: "Let me handle them."

Rusco: ( _To Maria_ ) "I noticed you getting confrontational with one of my students."

Maria: "She bumped into me."

Tirna: "ATTACK!"

Sean: "You assholes never learn."

Tirna: "The end is coming for you."

Power Rangers GPX Supercharged, episode 26: The Errand

:-:-:-: We're the best chance for humanity, Pow-wer Rang-gers G-P-X, let's go! :-:-:-:

Phaedos had learned how to act like an Elf pretty quickly during his two months in Alfheim. It was easy! All he needed was a pair of ear extensions and a massive hatred of humans. He already hated humans. The ear extensions though, were rather different. He hated wearing them. He felt like he was living a lie but if it meant killing the Power Rangers, he could live this lie.

Tirna had little issue, anyway, and couldn't really complain. Since Tirna had not had a chance to take out the Rangers during the invasion, this was their best chance. If not, they could just go rogue and kill 'em themselves.

But Ragnar had other plans. And they required Tirna and Phaedos to behave themselves. He didn't  _need them_ , but they were valuable allies that if they went rogue or betrayed him would be a detriment to his plans. But they were proceeding as planned and he could afford to get rid of them.

He watched Phaedos twirling a pen in his fingers, looking rather bored. Any longer with nothing to do and Ragnar worried that Phaedos might do something rash. And yet Ragnar held a very important piece of paper in his hands. Perhaps Phaedos might be interested in the mission the paper is detailing. "Phaedos," said Ragnar, "I need you to do something for me."

"What is it?" Phaedos asked, with boredom infecting his voice.

"I need you to go on a mission," said Ragnar. Phaedos stopped twirling the pen and looked over at Ragnar. "We found something near the town of Skardu in Pakistan. It is related to your people's history on Earth."

"I'm listening," said Phaedos.

"I need you to take a team of archaeologists and do some digging there," said Ragnar. Phaedos groaned and dropped the pen in anger. "It is far better that siting around here and doing nothing," Ragnar continued.

"This place sounds like it's in the middle of nowhere," said Phaedos.

"Exactly," Ragnar replied. "No one will know you're there." Phaedos was about to object. But when Ragnar handed the paper to him, he looked it over and began to reconsider.

"What about the Rangers?"

"They will be dealt with," said Ragnar.

:-:-:-: PRGPX :-:-:-:

As part of the deal to stay with the Rangers (at least until the time was right), Arquen and Eruvanda had to contribute around these house. That included doing laundry, cleaning, cooking, doing the dishes, etc, etc. Tonight it was Eruvanda's turn to cook. We're not really going to show her screwing up like a fish-out-of-water, because it's been a month for them to get used to it.

For Eruvanda, contributing was a delightfully humbling experience. It gave her the opportunity to see how the average being lived. If she regained her throne, she could use these experiences to help better Alfheim. But first things first. Right now, she was making some lasagna and salad for everyone. She had the cookbook and ingredients out, diligently working to make a good product. She also had some lettuce out to make a salad.

The door opened and she could hear Sean and Ritchie returning from hockey practice. But her Elf-ears also picked up their conversation. "I think I'll name my son Clay! No, Aaron! Nah, not good enough. How about BJ?"

"Oh my god, SHUT UP!" Sean bellowed. The sound of a hockey bag collapsing on the ground followed.

The two had been talking about this for some time. A team from Sean's birthplace, Chicago, was playing a team from Ritchie's Green Bay on Sunday for a major championship, but she didn't follow it. Out of curiosity, she stuck her head out of the kitchen. "What is wrong?" she asked.

"Metoxen won't shut the hell up about the damn fudge packers," said Sean. "I've had enough Packer shit all week, I want a fucking reprieve!"

"Oh, dear," Eruvanda said to herself. "Perhaps if you two could settle your differences by talking?"

"Are you kidding me?" said Ritchie, "This is the biggest rivalry in the NFL, and the only way one of us shuts up is if they lose!"

"Which will be you," said Sean. "I can't wait to see you eat your fucking words on Sunday." Eruvanda sighed in exasperation. Sports loyalties were so ingrained among humans it was worthless for the most part. On the other hand…

"I hope you both like lasagna," she said.

"Why?" asked Sean.

"I am making lasagna for everyone tonight," she replied.

"Oh, that sounds nice," said Sean.

"And salad," she continued. Sean and Ritchie shrugged.

Maria came downstairs though, holding her laptop and looking like she was in a hurry. "SWORD just intercepted some Elf communications," she said. "Where's Lizzie?"

"Making dinner," said Sean. "Maybe Arquen can help. ARQUEN!"

The Elven general took a couple moments before he poked his head in the hallway. "Yes?"

"SWORD intercepted some Elf messages," said Maria. "We need you to translate it."

"I would be honored," Arquen replied, taking the laptop from Maria and the two walked into the TV room to have a listen.

Sean and Ritchie went upstairs and put their hockey gear away before they came back downstairs. Arquen was listening intently to the message, writing down several things while Maria watched. The smell of cooking bison meat, cheese and pasta wafted in the air, inadvertently making it rather difficult to concentrate. But, Arquen was able to manage. Arquen removed his headphones, which meant the message was over.

"What does it say?" asked Maria.

"It is code," said Arquen. "It says, 'Ragnarok in the crags', among other things."

"What the hell does that mean?" asked Ritchie.

"I wish I knew as well," said Arquen. Ritchie smacked the armrest of the couch in frustration.

At that moment, Hitomi burst in, completely uninvited. She looked like she was swooning and holding something in her hands. "Hitomi, what's wrong with you?" asked Sean.

"I met the greatest guy ever," Hitomi said dreamily. "He's so amazing! He's nice, kind, sensitive—"

"He's gay," said Ritchie. Maria smacked him upside the head for that. "Sorry."

"No, he's Indian," said Hitomi.

"Alright! Which tribe?" asked Ritchie.

"Wrong Indian," said Hitomi. "He's from Mumbai."

"I thought that was my line," said Ritchie. "Wait, this guy's from India?"

"And why is this important?" asked Sean. "Unless you're telling us you're gonna convert to Hinduism, learn Hindi or maybe give up your role as Miyazawa heiress."

"Um, none of those?" Hitomi said, "What' going on?"

"Elves are confounding us," said Maria. "Even Arquen can't tell what they're saying for some reason."

"I am familiar with many codes used by the Alfheim military," said Arquen, "But this is a new code they must have implemented to prevent me from decoding them."

"Not surprised," said Ritchie, "They want to keep a step ahead of us, I don't see them staying still."

"We changed codes monthly when I was still a general," said Arquen. "In a way, this is standard procedure."

"Man, those guys are prepared," said Ritchie.

"Lasanga is ready!" Eruvanda called from the kitchen. "Sean, do you know where Kevin is?"

"I think he's in his little office!" Sean replied. "I'll go get him and Ndebele."

There was definitely an air of nervousness amongst the Rangers and Elves… that is until Ritchie decided to keep poking the Bears fan. "Hey O'Callahan."

"What?"

"GOPACKGO!"

"You want me to shove your Packer jersey down your throat?" asked Sean.

"Enough, you two," Maria got in between the two on-ice teammates but football rivals. "It's Thursday. Save it for Sunday. It's dinner time!"

:-:-:-: Power Rangers GPX :-:-:-:

The next morning, Kevin was busy wrapping up his class, but he had maybe five or six minutes left. He had planet of time to get out his lesson. His students were taking diligent notes, save for one or two who looked like they were goofing off and not listening. He wasn't happy about it one bit, not at all. These lads and lasses were in college. So few people in this world have such an opportunity and at an institution like this!?

"Excuse me," Kevin said. "But I request that you all pay attention during class. If not, I don't care what your excuse is, I will make the grade you need. And perhaps it might be  _your_ fault." The students he was talking to all straightened up in their seats and faced forward. Much better.

But he turned his attention to Shevcheko, Sean's hockey teammate. For a big guy, he looked rather nervous. Well, Kevin could already tell he was more of a Gentle Giant type. "Now then, I shall continue on with our discussion."

Kevin continued his lecture with the students now paying full attention, with a very good incentive to do so. When he was sure time was up, he glanced over at the clock. "It looks like our time today is done," he said. The students immediately got up from their seats, pushing them out of the way while Kevin tried to give his final notes for the day. Sadly, they didn't hear him.

He gathered his papers together and noticed Shevchenko moving slowly. "Shevchenko?" The Ukrainian glanced over at Kevin while he finished gathering his papers. "Can I talk to you?"

The Ukrainian seemed to gulp and then nodded. Kevin gave him a reassuring smile before finishing up and led the Ukrainian big man out of the classroom. "I saw you looking out the window," said Kevin. "Is there something wrong?"

"No," said Shevchenko, "Maybe. I have hockey game tonight and—"

"Yes, I know, I'm friends with both O'Callahans and Metoxen," said Kevin. "And I have the release you need. I know you'll be missing classes. But something isn't right, are you okay?"

"Yes, I am fine," said Shevchenko.

"Really?" asked Kevin. He wondered if it was something that would be a problem down the road or it could be helped now. "Do you have a class after this?"

"Not for an hour," said Dimitri.

Shevchenko was rather large, but Kevin knew that he was athletic. He needed to be if he was a hockey player, after all. From the way it looked, he must have been a farm boy all the way over there in eastern Ukraine. "Then why don't you come to the office some time?" Kevin asked.

Shevchenko paused for a moment, and then with a bit of apprehension, nodded. "Yes, it sounds good," he said.

"Perfect! My office number is on your syllabus, I expect you to be there," said Kevin. He gave Dimitri a pat on his back to reassure the Ukrainian defenseman. "You're getting a wonderful opportunity, Dimitri. Most people in this world will never get a chance to attend university. Make the best of things."

:-:-:-: Power Rangers GPX :-:-:-:

It was just too good to pass up. Phaedos was in the middle of nowhere and Tirna just could not resist the temptation. The Zordonian was sorely tempted to called Phaedos up and mock him for being Ragnar's little errand boy while Tirna and Túrelie planned the next attack on the Power Rangers. Oh, it was too good!

Tirna snickered looking at the image of the angry and sweaty Phaedos in the midst of the camp. Suitroops and Elves were milling about in the background and Tirna could hear some picks and shovels in the background. "You look good," said Tirna.

"Shut up, Tirna," said Phaedos. "When I get my hands on Ragnar—"

"Ah, ah, ah," Tirna's finger wagged as the Zordonian scolded Phaedos, "That's not very nice."

"Easy for you to say," said Phaedos, "If I recall, one Swabot said you poisoned Kalderon."

"Lies," said Tirna. "But don't worry. We're going to after the Rangers again today. And before the Red and Gold Rangers' hockey game!"

"And I'm being left out!?" Phaedos cried. "Damn that Ragnar! He's really making me wish I could stab him in the back!"

"If you're going to do that, bide your time," said Tirna. "I haven't really had my chance to fight the Rangers, so I'm in no mood."

"Again, easy for you to say," said Phaedos. "Ragnar isn't making you run meaningless and trite errands."

"Yes, but unless Ragnar really mistreats you, I'd say you should bite your tongue," said Tirna.

"KEEP YOUR DAMN MOUTH SHUT!" Phaedos screamed. But Tirna was laughing, as the other general found his reaction too funny. "Quit laughing!" Phaedos growled.

"Relax, Phaedos," said Tirna. "We'll handle the Rangers. In fact, our attacker should be ready." A monster that looked like a hodgepodge of a dog, lemur and bull. Genetic engineering at its least scientific, everyone.

"Let me at 'em!" said the monster.

"Do you like him?" asked Tirna.

"As long as he does the job," said Phaedos.

"Oh, he will," said Tirna. "He most certainly will."

:-:-:-: PRGPX :-:-:-:

People walked past him like he was invisible. They didn't so much as double-take at the sight of him. Daisuke was so used to people stopping him on the street that this was a shock to the system. It didn't take long for him to realize that no one, save for a Japanophile or maybe the occasional business student, knew who he was.

There were two ways to react to this. First, his arrogance could break down, and he could have a realization that he's no one and suffer depression. The other option is that he could come to the same realization but embrace his anonymity instead. Right now he was silently dealing with the former, but starting to lean towards the latter. He'd already been humiliated before. A humbling experience might be a new challenge for him.

Bring it on.

He sat up, looked around again and stood up. He began to walk away, but he bumped into a young woman who was rushing to Bascom Hill. "Sorry!" she said. Her accent sounded like O'Callahan's. But there were a few people from O'Callahan's city here it likely wasn't anyone special.

Speaking of O'Callahan, he and Aparicio were coming his way from the east. "Hello, Rich Boy," said Sean. Daisuke could only roll his eyes, annoyed with Sean's continuing use of that annoying moniker.

"Keep your mouth shut, O'Callahan," Daisuke grumbled. That made Sean flick the side of his head.

"You should have kept yours shut, too," said Sean.

Daisuke opened his mouth to respond, but the sound of an explosion in the direction of Bascom Hill prevented his objections from being spoken. "And always at the most inopportune time," said Daisuke.

Amidst all the screaming and panicking, Sean, Maria and Daisuke took off for Bascom Hill to fight the monster.

The monster had not brought any Suitroops, but it was making a big mess of things on Bascom Hill anyway. It had brought along an energy staff and was shooting it all over the place. People ran as fast as they could while trying to avoid the blasts. Explosions ripped up the hill, sending dirt, dust and snow flying everywhere. The monster laughed evilly all the while, as it didn't seem to care about what it was doing.

A little flash of light in the distance caught the monster's eye. This must be them! Naturally they would come to stop him. He'd get what he wanted from them, even if they didn't know. He prepared himself for the eventual battle, stomping the ground and bending over to attack them.

But then he felt three feet slam into his back. He looked and saw the Gold, Pink and Blue Rangers already morphed and ready to take him on. "What the—" The monster was about to start his sentence, but then he felt a gloved fist strike his snout on the left side.

"Well, good to see you guys," said Sean. "Alright, ugly, you'd better run!"

"Go fuck yourself!" said the monster.

"Fair enough," said Sean. He grabbed the monster by the head and kneed it in the jaw. The monster stumbled backwards and fell on its back in the snow. The monster angrily got up and growled at the Rangers. Ritchie kicked the monster in the chest. The monster caught Ritchie's leg and flipped him on his back.

But Kevin had an idea. Given the angle of the hill, Kevin thought that with just enough push, the monster might tumble down the hill. Kevin kicked the monster and his hypothesis was proven correct as the monster tumbled down Bascom Hill towards the bottom of the hill and N Park Street. "Let's go!" said Sean.

The Rangers followed the monster down and met him as he rolled onto the sidewalk. Hitomi jumped off the bank and tackled the monster which made it slam its back into one of the posts separating the sidewalk from the street. The monster was made of tougher stuff though, and it grabbed Hitomi and tossed her to the side. But she jumped and flipped to safety right as Maria also jumped off the bank and kicked the monster in the gut.

The monster took a big swipe at Maria, which the Yellow Ranger easily dodged. Then Ritchie took advantage of the monster's diverted attention and kicked it in the gut. Then he brought his elbow down on the top of its head. It was then Hitomi got his attention, and as if they were in some tag team match, she slapped his hand and she vaulted off his shoulders, put the monster in a headlock and slammed it to the sidewalk.

But just when they thought they had the monster on its heels, it reached up and grabbed Kevin by the throat and shoved him into one of the trees. The tree trunk broke in two and Kevin found himself on the street. Sean rushed to help, but the monster backhanded and clotheslined Sean onto his back.

Maria hoped to take advantage of the monster's lack of concentration and kicked him in the back. But looking at its angry expression when it turned its head meant it wasn't amused. A quick punch sent her flying into the hill. Daisuke grabbed the monster's arm and tried to pull it away from the street. But it wound up its fist and punched Daisuke hard and the Green Ranger landed chest-first to the pole

That left Ritchie and Hitomi. "Oh, shit," Ritchie said under his breath. The monster only needed one swipe to bring the two down.

"Is that all?" the monster taunted. "The least you could do is put up a fight! Are you rusty or what?"

"Bite me!" Sean snapped. He pressed his belt buckle. His personal weapon, the GT Sword, materialized and he grabbed it and pointed the tip of the blade at the monster. The weapon is basically the  _Twilight Princess_ version of the Master Sword from  _The Legend of Zelda_ series, repainted red and chrome. And apparently, its very appearance is insulting to the Elves and their monsters.

"The Sword of Elrond," the monster growled, "Have you no shame? How can you insult Elrond with that crude knock-off?"

"Ah, SHADDAP!" Sean replied. He lunged at the monster and took a big cut with the sword. Sparks flew in all directions as Sean went to town on the monster. A big, well-placed strike brought the monster down.

"Come ON, are you guys just gonna sit there?" His question was answered when they all stood up and surrounded the monster. "MUCH better."

Kevin put up his dukes and threw a one-two punch combo at the monster, which sadly missed but kept the monster on its heels. Ritchie found an opening and grabbed the monster by its collar. Now he really started to look like a hockey player as he went to town on the monster. But it grabbed Ritchie and gave the Gold Ranger a head-butt. Ritchie stumbled back a couple steps, but he noticed the monster coming towards him.

But Daisuke got in the way and threw a swift kick at the monster. In a way, Daisuke fights like a martial arts movie would play out in real-life; very stylized and fluid, but precise and economical. His kick missed, but a follow-up kick hit its mark. The monster swung its massive paw at Daisuke, but Daisuke ducked and Maria followed up with a big cut of her own.

Now Maria's style is more like the Brazilian soccer team. All the showy-ness is balanced out by precision and skill. Her leg twirled at the monster, and then her foot struck the monster's back hard. The monster turned and lunged at her. She ducked and then grabbed the monster's arm and tossed it to the ground. It hit so hard that a visible crack appeared.

At this point, the cops had shown up. A certain police officer who'd yet to appear since chapter 1 got out of his car and pointed his sidearm at the monster. Rob would love to be there fighting the monster, but… yeah, he was pretty much starting to reconsider joining the Madison PD. Still, it surprised him to see that picture of him taken on December 23rd that summed up the hopelessness of the situation after the other Rangers got badly beaten by the Elves.

His sidearm remained pointed at the monster should it escape. He noticed Kevin climbing up on the bank of Bascom Hill and then grabbed the monster.

Kevin groaned with all his might and pulled the monster up. It kicked and struggled to get free, but with a loud roar, Kevin flipped the monster onto the green. He should've gotten a hernia from that! The others jumped onto the green and took their turns wailing on the monster.

But it wasn't done, nosirree. It took its massive paw and swiped at the Rangers. The blow sent Sean, Ritchie and Hitomi tumbling off the bank. Then it freed itself from Kevin and took a swipe at him. Kevin felt the hard blow and landed on the snow. Daisuke got in the way of the monster, blocking its punch and punching it in the chest. The monster countered with a punch that knocked Daisuke down.

But Sean, Ritchie and Hitomi had climbed back on the bank and tackled the monster, then rolled off. It got back up and lunged at them, but Maria got in the way, wrapping her arms around it and threw it to the ground. She lifted her foot up and tried to stomp on the monster, but it grabbed her leg and ripped it out from under her.

Sean was NOT about to let that stand, so he grabbed the monster and dragged it away from her girlfriend. He pulled it up and slashed it several times with the GT Sword. Then Ritchie kicked it in the back and sent it sprawling in the snow. The monster stood up right as Maria and Hitomi flew in all DYNAMIC ENTRY and kicked the monster heard in the head and snout.

Then Daisuke and Kevin pulled the monster up. Kevin held the monster in place and Daisuke threw a hard punch at the monster. The monster kicked Daisuke away and knocked Kevin off, but then Ritchie rushed in and threw a punch at the monster and then Sean finished up the sequence with a series of slashes with the GT Sword that sent sparks and the monster flying.

The monster grunted when it landed on the snow. The Rangers regrouped. "Have you had enough?" asked Sean.

"You asked for it!" the monster growled.

"Nah, but you did!" said Sean. "Supercharge!"

The Rangers pulled out their AcceleKeys and their fuel pump nozzle-shaped Octane Blasters, save for Ritchie who just summoned the Gold Axe and converted it to a blaster. They jammed the keys into a slot and gave them a turn. Ritchie just pressed a button. "READY!" Sean shouted. They pointed their weapons at the monster. "AIM! FIRE!" They let off a volley and the monster erupted in a shower of sparks.

As this was happening, Sean jammed the key into his sword and gave it a turn. Then he lifted it up—purely for dramatic effect. "GT STRIKE!" He shouted and swung right after the others let off the volley. The sword beams struck the monster and it fell to the ground and erupted in an impressive explosion. At the foot of the hill, Rob pumped his fist.

But then a beam of light hit the monster and its body began to convulse. "Oh, no," said Sean. "Hey SWORD, I think we a little more firepower!"

The sound of an incoming jet could be heard. Right as the monster was beginning to grow, a massive silver-colored jet flew by and latched some cables onto the monster, and lifted it away from campus and north towards Lake Mendota.

The Rangers followed and reached the shore of Lake Mendota to see the monster reach its massive size. Then some objects materialized in the water and fired cables at the monster to keep it in place. "LET'S D THIS!" Sean shouted. He and the Rangers jumped up into their zords.

"GT Racer, online!" Sean said as he fell into his cockpit. His zord was a large, red-colored GT race car.

"Touring Racer, ready to go!" Kevin said. His was a large, blue-colored touring race car.

"Mountain Hauler, engage!" Daisuke shouted. His was a large, green-colored pick-up truck.

"Haz Runner, roll out!" Maria called. Hers was a yellow-colored HazMat vehicle.

"Am Chaser, let's go!" Hitomi said. The Am Chaser was a large white, pink-trimmed ambulance.

"Golden Jet, armed and ready!" Ritchie shouted. It was a large, gold-colored fighter jet (duh).

"AcceleKeys, ready!" Sean said. He and the other Rangers pulled out their AcceleKeys.

" _READY!_ " The rest shouted. They then jammed the keys in the key slots near the steering wheel and gave them a turn. A series of lights lit up indicating their activation.

"Initiate Grand Prix Megazord docking sequence," Sean said. "NOW!"

Sean pulled out his AcceleKey. "Ready?"

" _Ready!_ " They jammed the keys into the dashboard, turning them and lighting them up.

"Grand Prix Megazord sequence, engage!" The zords moved to the northern shore of Lake Mendota and the sequence began.

The Touring Racer split up and joined with the Mountain Hauler, forming arms. The front of the Mountain Hauler opened up, allowing it to combine with the Haz Runner and Am Chaser. Then, the tailgate of the Mountain Hauler opened and the GT Racer rolled up onto the truck bed to join with the Hauler. Rockets fired and the whole thing stood up. The head was unveiled with its black visor and mouth-less mouth plate.

After some fiddling around, Ritchie pulled a lever and the Golden Jet broke apart. Part of it combined with the Megazord's boots and the part of the fuselage that includes the nose and wings combined with the back and chest of the Megazord.

" _Golden Grand Prix Megazord, online!_ " they said in the cockpit, inside their Indy Car pods.

The monster broke free of its restraints and snarled at the megazord. The megzord just put up its dukes as the monster charged it. The cockpit shook violently as the monster collided with the megazord. The Rangers held on for dear life, but managed to keep it stable. The megazord then punched the monster in the snout. It stumbled backwards and nearly fell in the lake.

The megazord walked over to the monster and pulled it up. It gave the monster a hard punch to the snout. The monster countered though, throwing a punch at the megazord that struck the megazord in the head. Again, the cockpit violently shook and the Rangers had to hold on for dear life. "Block that thing, next time!" Ritchie shouted.

"Who's giving orders here!?" Sean replied. "Come on, throw another punch!"

The megazord threw a right jab and then a left hook at the monster. Then it threw a kick with its right leg that sent the monster stumbling into the lake. The monster recovered though, and it kicked the megazord hard in the chest. It tried to kick the megazord again, but the megazord caught the kick. It simply pushed the monster down and it fell rear-end first into Lake Mendota.

The monster stood up again, but by now the next strategy was clear. "It's time to end this!" said Sean. "Grand Prix Megazord Saber!" The saber materialized in the Megazord's hands. Now this time, the jets on the megazord were much more powerful as it lifted itself off the ground.

Then the Golden Megazord took flight—AS IN ACTUALLY FLYING—towards the monster, ready to finish it off.

" _GOLDEN GRAND PRIX MEGAZORD STRIKE! GO!_ " The Megazord wound up, took a big cut and landed gently in the waters of Lake Mendota. Sparks erupted from the monster until it fell to the ground in an impressive explosion.

:-:-:-: Power Rangers GPX :-:-:-:

It didn't take long for word of the monster's defeat to reach Phaedos. As he looked over the battle report, he shook his head before crumpling it up and tossing it aside. "I guess it wouldn't have been worthwhile, anyway," he said to himself. He said back in his chair and looked up at the ceiling, cursi—

"Phaedos!" a Suitroop interrupted his reverie. "We found something."

"What did you find?" asked Phaedos.

"A lead," the Suitroop replied, "And a good one." Phaedos pulled his legs off the table and turned to the Suitroop. Then he stood up and walked over to it.

"What is it?" he asked.

"A message," said the Suitroop. "Follow me, we'll show it to you." Phaedos shrugged and followed the Suitroop.

The Suitroop led him to a cave. The dim light of northern Pakistan was beginning to cover the campsite. He took a torch and followed the Suitroop inside the cave. He followed it for some time, wondering just what the Suitroop was trying to get at. But then he came across several Suitroops gathered around one spot. Could it be they were looking for one thing and one thing only? Maybe this wasn't some silly fetch quest.

The Suitroop stood to the side. Phaedos held the light up to the wall and his eyes and mouth widened. "Pictographs," he said. "And writing?"

"We have deciphered the pictographs," said the Suitroop. "But we cannot decipher the writing."

"Ancient Zordonian," said Phaedos. "This is Ancient Zordonian." It only took him a split second for his signature smirk to reappear on his lips. Perhaps this wasn't some errand after all.

:-:-:-: PRGPX :-:-:-:

Hitomi VO: "Next time on  _Power Rangers GPX Supercharged_!"

Ritchie: "Go Pack go!"

Daisuke: "It is a pleasure."

Phaedos: "I found something."

Arquen: "What is it?"

Sean: "This is weird."

Phaedos: "Time to die!"

Hitomi VO: "That's next time on  _Power Rangers GPX Supercharged_!"


	4. Green & Gold (and Blue) Monday

Rob VO: "Last time on  _Power Rangers GPX Supercharged_!"

Ragnar: "I need you to go on a mission."

Maria: "SWORD just intercepted some Elf communications."

Arquen: "It says, 'Ragnarok in the crags', among other things."

Kevin: "Something isn't right, are you okay?"

Shevchenko: "Yes, everything is fine."

Suitroop: "We found something."

Phaedos: "Ancient Zordonian."

Power Rangers GPX Supercharged, episode 27: Green & Gold (and Blue) Monday

:-:-:-: We're the best chance for humanity, Pow-wer Rang-gers G-P-X, let's go! :-:-:-:

In case you have forgotten or are too stupid (Coughbrancoughkelcough) to know, Sean is from Chicago and he's a Bears fan. He and Ritchie were getting it on in the previous chapter about the Bears and the Packers, who were set to play in the 2011 NFC Championship game, one of the most important points in the National Football League's oldest, most storied, and in the author's totally biased opinion (Cowboys-Redskin's got  _nothing_ on this!) best rivalry.

If you follow the NFL, you would know that the Packers won that game and thus began Sean's month of utter humiliation at the hands of Packer fans all over the city of Madison.

"GO PACK GO! GO PACK GO! GO PACK GO!" Ritchie cheered and shouted, being all-around obnoxious. Yes, even though everyone thought it was nice to hear Sean shut up for once, this was far worse.

Kevin held his tea in his hand, trying to read the newspaper, but the sounds of Ritchie's boasting and parading were really getting on his nerves. Little drops of tea splattered on the island top from him shaking the tea mug. He let out a sigh of deep annoyance and bubbling anger at the Wisconsin Native's arrogance. Finally, he snapped.

"Thunderin' Jaysus, SHUT THE HELL UP!" he bellowed. "IT WAS YESTERDAY, ENOUGH!"

"Oh, come on!" Ritchie replied as he walked into the kitchen, "Can't I celebrate?"

"You've been celebrating every waking minute, enough is enough! And Sean has to come out of his room at some point. And you're not helping." Just imagine if this was the  _SIU_ universe. Sean suffered a Heroic BSOD for an entire day before being pulled out of it after the Bears loss.

"Please?" Ritchie asked, giving Kevin a Puppy Dog Pout. Kevin was not amused.

" _NO_. In fact, no more Packer gear, no more Packer mentions, discussion or watching will be allowed in this house for an entire month. And I know about the Super Bowl. If you're going to watch it, watch it with someone else!"

Ritchie blew a raspberry only to receive a rather hard punch in the arm from a just-as pissed-off Maria. A dope slap from Daisuke, a crutches whack from Aron and a flick to the forehead from Eruvanda pretty much drove the message home. "Packer  _puto_ ," said Maria.

"You think I should stop?" said Ritchie.

"No shit, Sherlock," said Kevin.

At last, the man of the hour arrived in the kitchen, a head of disheveled hair and a very unhappy expression upon his face. He took one look at Ritchie and punched him on the arm. "Do you have anything else in gold?" asked Kevin.

"Well, I have some gold Brewers shirts," said Ritchie. For the record, Sean does not hate the Brewers, since they're in the National League and thus rivals of the Cubs, whom he hates (because he's a Sox fan from the South Side. Remember that, everyone—coughbrancoughkelcough). "And I have some Boston Bruins stuff, too—"

"The Bruins!?" Sean's head snapped to the side. "Are you a Bruins fan?"

"My dad got them this summer when he went to Boston!" Ritchie replied. "A gold Bruins shirt, and two Bruins sweaters—one black, one they wore for the Winter Classic."

"Dayum," said Sean.

"Although, actually, my dad got the black sweater and uncle got the gold—"

"Okay, okay!" said Sean. "We get it! Are you even a Bruins fan?"

"No, I'm a Hawks fan—" Ritchie smacked his hand over his mouth, while Sean smiled and gave him a sly glance. "Although I'm not real crazy about the logo."

:-:-:-: PRGPX :-:-:-:

Daisuke left early so he could meet with members of the Madison Chamber of Commerce so he could discuss his plans to open a Miyazawa franchise in Madison. The meeting would be at a Starbucks across from campus. It was informal, so the conversation was likely to stray away from the topic they were meeting to discuss whilst they had their tea and coffee. Along the way he passed by State Street and the Library Mall.

It was along the way that Daisuke came across several people huddled together, waving flags and listening to a speaker shouting in a foreign language. He was rather intrigued by this, and moved forward to get a better look and hear. The language the man was speaking sounded like Arabic and once Daisuke got a better look, he realized just what this was.

This was a protest.

They were waving the Egyptian, Tunisian and Libyan flags, among others. He could not read the signs, but it became clear they were reacting to the recent wave of protests in the Middle East. "What is this?" he asked someone wearing a Tunisian flag headband.

"We are denouncing the regimes in our homelands," said the other person. "We are standing in solidarity with our fellow Arabs who are trying to change their countries."

"I see," said Daisuke. "I hope you succeed."

"Of course we will," said the person. "We have already succeeded in my homeland, after all. My name is Amir, what is yours?"

"Miyazawa Daisuke," he replied. "It is a pleasure to meet you, Amir."

"It is a pleasure to meet you as well," said Amir.

:-:-:-: Power Rangers GPX :-:-:-:

There was something different about Phaedos now that he'd come back and Tirna could not quite put a finger on it. The other Zordonian renegade examined Phaedos, but could not come up with a reason for his new confidence. Now Phaedos was always arrogant, which rubbed many other Zordonian generals—including Zentor—the wrong way. But this was not arrogance it was… something else entirely and Tirna wanted to know what it was.

Even the Elven Field Marshall Ingvar could not see why Phaedos was so confident all of a sudden. He'd just come back from his "Errand" for Ragnar and it was rumored they'd found something. That question would be answered soon enough. He, Ragnar, Túrelie and Tirna were meeting to discuss Phaedos's findings.

Phaedos looked over the conspirators with his signature smirk and arrogant stare. "What is it, Phaedos?" Ingvar inquired with annoyance heavy on his tone.

"I found something," said Phaedos, "Or rather, some  _things_."

" _Things_?" asked Ingvar.

"Yes,  _things_ ," replied Phaedos. "Writings in Ancient Zordonian and petroglyphs from the time before the Zordonians were so  _rudely_ forced off the planet."

"What does it mean?" asked Ingvar.

"It means killing the Power Rangers is unnecessary," said Phaedos. Ingvar and Túrelie looked at each other and back to Phaedos, "But given how Ragnar is so dead set on killing them, I doubt this will change his mind."

"It is my mission to kill them," said Ragnar. "You are correct."

"Killing them may be unnecessary, but it will speed up Ragnar's plans," said Phaedos. "There is still incentive to kill them."

"And rid their blasphemous presence from the Earth," said Ragnar. "I feared this development, but now that it is clear, it changes nothing."

"Of course," said Phaedos. "And I want to do the job myself."

"You do?" asked Ragnar. "For what reason?"

"Because I  _want_ to," said Phaedos.

"Why not send a monster instead?" asked Túrelie.

"Actually, I think I have a better idea," said Phaedos. "What if I went with a monster?"

"Taking that option has been done," said Túrelie, "But it is a good option, nonetheless."

"Yes that is true," said Ragnar. "We will have one ready for attack this afternoon or evening."

:-:-:-: PRGPX :-:-:-:

Sean got back to the house a little early since he didn't get anything from the State Street food carts. He took off his boots and jacket, tossing them both into a corner and then walking away. But a throat clearing caught his attention. Lizzie pointed at his boots, which were laying around getting the floor wet and the jacket was not hung up. That made Sean groan in annoyance and he put them where they all belonged.

"I'm gonna take a nap, wake me up when it's time to go to practice," he said.

"Ndebele was right, you  _are_ lazy," said Eruvanda.

"No, just tired," he replied.

"Of course," she said with a hint of sarcasm. Yes, anyone who comes near this group develops a sense of sarcasm at some point.

"Sean!" Aaron called out.

"What?" he replied. They heard some thumping coming from upstairs while Aaron hobbled down the steps holding a laptop.

"SWORD intercepted another Elf communique," said Aaron.

"Well that was convenient," said Sean.

"It is… different," said Aaron.

"How?" asked Sean.

Aaron, who did not have his laptop with him, instead still hobbling on his crutches, urged Sean and Lizzie to follow him. Arquen came out of the basement to see them going upstairs and decided to follow them. "They sent this just a couple minutes ago." He clicked on the e-mail link and several images of petroglyphs, paintings and carvings appeared on screen.

Sean rubbed his chin and looked. "The hell is that?" he asked.

"What is it?" asked Arquen.

"They're not sure," said Aaron.

Making a face that the Tenth Doctor would make, Sean examined the carvings, paintings and petroglyphs on the computer screen. Now, Sean is taking anthropology classes, which includes one or two archaeology classes (archaeology is a part of anthropology). He's seen a couple of petroglyphs in his time, and he could probably tell you what they mean.

But not these.

"This is weird," he said. "I have no fuckin' clue."

"Can't you read that!?" asked Aaron.

"I can interpret petroglyphs, but I can't read runes or… whatever these are!" he replied. "I'm not an expert for fuck's sake!"

"Some anthropologist you are," said Aaron.

"Hey!"

"What about Rusco?" asked Eruvanda.

"He's not an archaeology teacher," said Sean.

"Oh, I forgot," said Eruvanda.

"This puts us in a tough spot," said Sean.

Aaron smacked the desk in frustration. Sean turned away and Arquen and Eruvanda followed him out, since their duty—if you could call it that—was done. A sigh escaped Eruvanda's mouth and she looked away from the trio. It wasn't a good day right now. "So what happens now?" asked Eruvanda.

"We stay focused," said Sean. "Right now I need to get ready for practice. And Arquen, whaddaya say we spar some time?"

"It would be my pleasure," the former general replied.

:-:-:-: Power Rangers GPX :-:-:-:

"Are you even a Bruins fan?"

"No!" Ritchie replied.

"Then why the hell are you wearing a Bruins sweater?" Janet asked while munching on some Hibachi.

"Because as a Power Ranger I'm required to wear my color," he said, "And they won't let me wear my Packer stuff in that house."

"That's a shitty reason," said Janet. "That's false advertising."

"My dad got it in Boston as a gift," he said.

"Well, in that case, you need to wear a sign with a disclaimer that reads, 'I am only wearing this because as a Power Ranger, I am contractually required to wear my color'."

"Like that's going to happen," he muttered to himself. She laughed, taking a sip of the bottled Babcock milk she had with her. "But I can wear my Gamblers sweater." People passed by on the Library Mall. For some reason this is a popular location for the author. Anyway, they sat to the side, just doing some people-watching and whatnot, forgetting about the chaos of the Ranger and Ragnar battles.

"So why can't you wear a Hawks sweater?"

Her random question made him spit out his milk. "What?"

"Why can't you wear a Hawks sweater?" she asked.

"Because it's red!" he replied with a laugh. Was she teasing him? "And because I'm worried if another Indian saw me wearing it I'd be called an Uncle Tom or something like that."

"You won't," she replied. "Maybe if you wore an R-word jersey."

"Yeah, that'll do," said Ritchie. There weren't any words spoken between the two. Ritchie sat back on the bench, sipping the hot chocolate he had in his hand while Janet did some more people watching. Ritchie reached around and wrapped his right arm around Janet. The Mohawk woman sighed and rolled her eyes and glanced over at the Oneida Rocket. "What?"

"You're bad at getting the girls," she said.

"Except you," he replied. He leaned in to try and kiss her, but then someone clearing their throat interrupted him.

"Am I interrupting you?" asked Kevin.

"What is it, O'Donnell?" asked Ritchie.

"I'll be meeting with Shevchenko later today, and I need you to pick him up at maybe, 2:30," said Kevin. "Well, you and Sean. I'm afraid he'll be late."

"Why can't you meet earlier?" asked Ritchie.

"Because 2:00 today was the only available time," said Kevin. "I apologize in advance."

"Yeah, sure," said Ritchie.

"Good man," said Kevin. He patted Ritchie's shoulder and turned towards the Memorial Union, presumably to get some tea.

"Don't get too worked up about it," said Janet. "Oh, it looks like Hitomi's found someone." They watched Hitomi pass by, ignoring them but talking to some other guy. "Is that guy from India?"

"Hitomi says he's from Mumbai," said Ritchie. "Guy must be rich."

"Well, he's got good looks," she said, which made Ritchie roll his eyes. "What? All I'm saying is he'd make a good Bollywood actor."

"You watch that stuff?" asked Ritchie.

"Every now and then," said Janet.

:-:-:-: Power Rangers GPX :-:-:-:

The monster was ready. It growled and huffed, stamping its foot on the floor, making all sorts of noise. There was no animal it looked like. Well, no known animal, anyways. Perhaps it was a cross between a lizard, lion, falcon, or something, but there was no way of knowing just what it was. But it looked like it could easily handle the Power Rangers, or at least get what Phaedos wanted. "It'll do," he said.

"When are you going to attack?" asked Túrelie.

"Some time tonight," said Phaedos, "When he Red and Gold Rangers are fatigued from hockey practice."

"I see," Túrelie concluded. "I so desperately want to go after them."

"Give it time," said Phaedos. "For now, I want to get them myself."

"Damn Zordonian," she said under her breath.

"Now then, Bruiser," Phaedos said to the monster, "Capitol Square, or just off it. Let's terrorize those humans!" The monster teleported away, and within minutes, Túrelie saw the images of the monster smashing cars and sending people running.

:-:-:-: PRGPX :-:-:-:

"What the fuck is 'real-life CGI'?" Sean asked, looking at the screen of his girlfriend's laptop.

"I do not know," said Maria, "But honestly, what kind of sick  _puto_ insists this whole thing is fake?"

"Conspiracy retards," said Sean. "They showed up  _every_ 9/11 while I was at UIC, and sometimes I'd see their stupid fliers everywhere. They're morons of the first degree. Kinda like Ben Dreck."

"Oh, I see," said Maria. Apologies for the up-front conspiracy bashing, but as someone who likes to think of themselves as a rational thinker, and because they have been shown to be complete and utter  _jackasses_ , it's very much deserved.

"And why are you looking at this bullshit?"

"Somebody sent it to me!" she replied. He had to wonder just who sent it to her. It must have been one of those ultra-lefties she got to know back in Brazil. He too, had leftist tendencies, but it was of the more Scandinavian/German Social Democracy views. Whoever this person is must be a Commie or anarchist, more maybe just a nut.

The morpher began to ring, and Sean immediately picked it up. "Yeah?"

" _Monster attack in Capitol Square_ ," said the guy on the other end.

"But I just got back from practice," Sean whined.

"Then why do you think they attacked?" Maria asked, grabbing her boyfriend's arm. "Forget dinner, we should go!"

:-:-:-: Power Rangers GPX :-:-:-:

Downtown Madison and Capitol Square still hadn't full rebuilt after the December 23rd-24th Battle of Madison. Scaffolding covered the buildings, including the Capitol. Some of the trees had been replaced by newer ones and you could tell where the lawn had been blown up because of the lack of snow in some spots. But the State Assembly was still in, since it was (mostly) façade damage.

But you could guess the reaction once Phaedos and Bruiser showed up. It was far too soon for them to cause any more damage. But the crowds ran as fast as they could, as they were still traumatized from the events of the 23rd.

It was music to the ears of Phaedos. As Bruiser did all the damage, he soaked in all the shouts and screams like music. "That's it, run you pitiful humans!" He let loose an evil laugh to end all evil laughs, a testament to how big a son of a bitch he is. Something caught the corner of his right eye. Six figures, all in the familiar colors, were coming closer. "Right on time," he said. "BRUISER!"

Bruiser finished chomping on someone's leg and look westward down State Street. He growled, dropped the leg and stood up to face the incoming Rangers. "GET THEM!" Phaedos shouted.

Bruiser roared and charged down State Street right at the Rangers. Without hesitation, they all stepped out of the way of Bruiser. Maria stuck her foot out, tripping the monster up. It fell face-first onto the pavement.

As Bruiser stood, the Rangers put up their dukes and shifted into defensive stances. This was normal operating procedure. Bruiser's eyes shifted between the six of them. Who would be the first victim? His eyes landed on Kevin and he lunged at the Blue Ranger.

Kevin opened his arms and grabbed the monster as soon as it collided with him. The Irishman wrapped his arms around the monster and positioned his feet for better traction. Bruiser pushed and pushed at Kevin, but a little tug by Kevin was enough and he brought the monster down.

With the monster down, Kevin pulled it back up and socked him right in the snout. Bruiser retaliated with a swing of its large hand. Kevin ducked and speared the monster hard in the stomach. Bruiser planted its feet, stopping Kevin flat. Of course, it's six-against-one.

Ritchie was the first one to step up, throwing a kick at Bruiser which made the monster drop Kevin. Bruiser turned around and swung its paw at Ritchie. The Oneida Rocket ducked under the monster and gave him his own spear. The monster's landing cracked the pavement. Bruiser tossed Ritchie aside and stood up again. It noticed Hitomi coming out of the corner of his eye and tripped the Pink Ranger up.

But Sean was right behind her. His furious assault—fast, well-paced punches and kicks—caught Bruiser off guard. The monster was pushed back from the Capitol Square and onto the plaza between the Secretary of State building and the building housing the State Street Gallery. Bruiser blocked one of Sean's punches and countered with its own. Sean ducked and blocked the punch, countering with a side kick to Bruiser's stomach.

The opportunity presented itself and Phaedos took it. He rushed into the plaza to grab Sean and tossed him aside. "Let's settle this, shall we?" Phaedos asked as he drew his sword.

Sean did not want to. He had to get back to his comrades and fast. With a lightning-fast move, he broke back towards the others. But Phaedos was too fast, and he punched Sean right in the jaw. "Just you and me, Red," said Phaedos.

"RED!" Kevin shouted. But the moment did not afford him an opportunity to go and rescue Sean. He had to act. "Everyone! Surround the monster!" he shouted. All five of them surrounded Bruiser. The monster looked around to find an escape route. But Maria kicked Bruiser in the chest and she was joined by Ritchie. Ritchie grabbed Bruiser's arm, and he and Maria threw Bruiser to the northwest.

Kevin sighed, but repeated his order. Once they surrounded the monster again, Daisuke and Hitomi lunged forward. Daisuke grabbed Bruiser and Hitomi jumped and kicked Bruiser in the snout. The monster swatted at Hitomi, but she flipped out of the way. That allowed Daisuke—now armed with his Mountain Katana—to move in and take several swings at the monster.

Bruiser blocked Daisuke's blade and threw a punch. However, that left Ritchie with enough room to come in and kick the monster's head. Bruiser tried to retaliate, but Ritchie had already tumbled underneath and jumped up to kick Bruiser in the head.

Meanwhile, Sean had his hands full trying to get back to the team. His blade connected with the one belonging to Phaedos. Sean tried the two of them around, but Phaedos stayed firm. He must have known what Sean was up to. Phaedos took his blade away and kicked Sean hard in the helmet. Sean grunted once he hit the ground. His HUD fizzled but warned him to Phaedos's attack and he rolled out of the way, kicking at Phaedos. But he missed and Phaedos raised his sword.

"TIME TO DIE!" Phaedos shouted.

Ritchie's back hit the wall and he let out a shout of pain while crumbling to the ground. Hitomi got in between Bruiser and Ritchie. She blocked the monster's punches and paws, just stalling for time until Ritchie got back up. She heard his grunting and groaning as he stood up. Bruiser threw a punch at Hitomi, which the Japanese girl easily caught. Ritchie's chance was now!

He caught Bruiser's arm, wrapping his around it. The two began to push Bruiser away until it stumbled over onto North Carroll Street. Bruiser rolled on the pavement, but was confronted by Kevin and got socked in the snout. Daisuke followed that up, kicking Bruiser hard in the snout.

And then, finally, a flash of silver came from out of the blue to kick Bruiser in the snout. As an Officer of the Law, Rob is forgiven from being late. That's the main reason they had to recruit Ritchie. The other reason was because the Elves were about to kill him.

But Rob was here and all was right with the world. "Form up!" he said, just like the Marine he is. The others gathered themselves and surrounded Bruiser. Then, an enraged Bruiser lunged at them, only to be met with Maria's fist. The hodgepodge monster snarled angrily while stumbling away from them and back towards the State Captiol. Of course, that wasn't going to happen.

Ritchie turned Bruiser around and punched Bruiser right in the snout. "Y'know, maybe we should leave him alone," he said, "He's not very threatening."

Bad idea. One massive swipe of his paw and Ritchie crashed into the wall of the Secretary of State building. "I think that answers that question," said Rob.

Ritchie had to be pulled out of the damaged building while Kevin and Rob held off Bruiser. He wasn't injured, but he was definitely in pain. "Form up again," said Rob. "Surround him!"

They did again and this time, they did not go easy on him.

Sean kicked at Phaedos and got back on his feet. Then he swung his sword at Phaedos. The Zordonian mercenary blocked his attacks, but Sean swung and thrust his blade at Phaedos as fast as he could. Phaedos was not going to win!

But Phaedos was too fast for Sean's blade. But to Phaedos's surprise, Sean dropped his sword. "I should have known you wanted to—" POW! Right in the kisser! Phaedos's stunned state allowed Sean to grab him and then lift him onto his shoulders. Before Phaedos knew, Sean vaulted Phaedos off his shoulders and administered a Go To Sleep on him.

Now with Phaedos out of the way, Sean picked up his sword and—oops, Phaedos tripped him up. "Did you honestly think you could pull THAT on me?" Phaedos rubbed his cheek, which was turning green.

Sean stood up, but dropped his sword again. "Might as well try again," said Sean. He rushed forward and threw a flurry of punches and kicks at Phaedos. This seemed to be working, as Phaedos looked rather uncomfortable. For good measure, Phaedos did land a punch on Sean, but the Red Ranger NEEDED to get back to his teammates. So he threw a reverse roundhouse kick that stunned Phaedos again—and struck Phaedos on the other cheek.

Then Sean pulled Phaedos back onto his shoulders and gave him another Go To Sleep. With Phaedos stunned and dazed, Sean picked up his sword again and ran to help his friends.

They were still locked with Bruiser, and he was knocking the others around pretty badly. Well, that didn't mean he was wiping the floor with them. Rob had Bruiser by the arm and was trying to pull the monster away from the others. They, in turn, were on the ground, trying to get back up. Kevin was getting up rather gingerly, gripping the spot on his torso where a rib was broken.

"GT STRIKE!" Better late than never, Sean took a big swing with the GT Sword that caught Bruiser off guard. Even Rob had no idea what was going on. "Silver, Phaedos is still up, take care of him!"

"Got it!" said Rob. He ran over to Phaedos, who was just getting up, and kicked him hard in the jaw.

"Time to end this!" said Sean. "Supercharge!" The Rangers pulled out their AcceleKeys on command and jammed them into their weapons.

"Ragnarok is coming," said Bruiser.

"Ready! Aim! FIRE!" The Rangers fired their weapons at Bruiser. Rob followed up with a strike from the Silver Sword.

Then Sean raised his sword to the sky. The blade began to glow red and then he swung the sword. "GT STRIKE!" The strike hit the monster and Bruiser fell to the ground in a massive explosion.

Phaedos was rubbing his still-stinging cheek when he noticed the explosion over in the intersection. It wasn't surprising one bit, but what happened next was. A beam of light shot out of the sky and struck the intersection. Bruiser's body began to convulse and grow right in the middle of the intersection.

The sound of an incoming jet could be heard. Right as the monster was beginning to grow, a massive silver-colored jet flew by and latched some cables onto the monster, and lifted it away from downtown and north towards Lake Mendota.

The Rangers followed and reached the shore of Lake Mendota to see the monster reach its massive size. Then some objects materialized in the water and fired cables at the monster to keep it in place. "LET'S DO THIS!" Sean shouted. He and the Rangers jumped up into their zords.

"GT Racer, online!" Sean said as he fell into his cockpit.

"Touring Racer, ready to go!" Kevin said.

"Mountain Hauler, engage!" Daisuke shouted.

"Haz Runner, roll out!" Maria called.

"Am Chaser, let's go!" Hitomi said.

"Silver Bullet, armed and ready!" Rob shouted.

"Golden Jet, armed and ready!" Ritchie shouted.

"AcceleKeys, ready!" Sean said. He and the other Rangers pulled out their AcceleKeys.

" _READY!_ " The rest shouted. They then jammed the keys in the key slots near the steering wheel and gave them a turn. A series of lights lit up indicating their activation.

"Initiate Grand Prix Megazord docking sequence," Sean said. "NOW!"

Sean pulled out his AcceleKey. "Ready?"

" _Ready!_ " They jammed the keys into the dashboard, turning them and lighting them up.

"Grand Prix Megazord sequence, engage!" The zords moved to the northern shore of Lake Mendota and the sequence began.

The Touring Racer split up and joined with the Mountain Hauler, forming arms. The front of the Mountain Hauler opened up, allowing it to combine with the Haz Runner and Am Chaser. Then, the tailgate of the Mountain Hauler opened and the GT Racer rolled up onto the truck bed to join with the Hauler. Rockets fired and the whole thing stood up. The head was unveiled with its black visor and mouth-less mouth plate.

After some fiddling around, Ritchie pulled a lever and the Golden Jet broke apart. Part of it combined with the Megazord's boots and the part of the fuselage that includes the nose and wings combined with the back and chest of the Megazord.

" _Golden Grand Prix Megazord, online!_ " they said in the cockpit, inside their Indy Car pods. The Silver Bullet, also transformed, landed next to the Megazord.

Bruiser broke free from his restraints and charged the two zords. Instead of colliding with them, Bruiser threw a massive paw at them. The blow knocked them all around, but it got worse when Bruiser turned and hit the zords with its tail. He gave it another go-around but the Silver Bullet was right there to grab the tail. The Megazord took advantage of the situation to sock Bruiser right in the jaw.

Bruiser recovered, throwing a punch at the Megazord, which it blocked. It countered with a right hook to Bruiser's jaw. Bruiser lunged at the Megzord in retaliation, but the Silver Bullet got in the way and punched Bruiser hard. The Silver Bullet followed that up with a knee to Bruiser's gut.

"I'm sick of this," said Sean. "GRAND PRIX MEGAZORD SABER!" The saber materialized in the Megazord's hands.

"SILVER BULLET MISSLES!" Rob shouted. Missiles popped out of the Silver Bullet's body and launched at Bruiser.

The Megazord jets fired, lifting it off the ground. The Megazord flew at Bruiser, " _GOLDEN GRAND PRIX MEGAZORD STRIKE!_ " The Megazord slashed at Bruiser, unleashing a shower of sparks. Bruiser snarled and roared in agony, and fell into the lake, finally exploding.

:-:-:-: PRGPX :-:-:-:

Once again, we end with a focus on Phaedos. This time, he seethed at the bruises on his cheeks, a symbol of his humiliation today. Tirna's mocking laughter tortured his psyche. Was it not enough that he suffered a terrible loss almost a year ago? Now he has to come to terms with the very real possibility that the Power Rangers are stronger than he is. Just that possibility is infuriating, much less  _losing_  to them.

He must have known Ragnar was in the room with him when he said, "You're going to relieve me of my duties, aren't you?"

Tirna whipped around to see Ragnar standing in the doorway, a glower intimidating Phaedos. "If that is what you want," said Ragnar.

"I thought I was expendable," said Phaedos.

"Whoever gave you that idea?" Ragnar asked. Phaedos was certainly suspicious about Ragnar's words. For all he knew there was some ulterior motive that Ragnar wasn't telling him. "I will assign Tirna and Túrelie to the Ranger mission. You focus on the rest of the plan."

"Fine," Phaedos said under his breath. Behind him Tirna chuckled mockingly. Even more humiliation.

:-:-:-: Power Rangers GPX :-:-:-:

Ritchie VO: "Next time on  _Power Rangers GPX Supercharged!_ "

Túrelie: "Why do I have to work with you?"

Tirna: "The feeling's mutual."

Hitomi: "That's a lot of snow."

Sean: "We got the day off!"

Eruvanda: "I need your help."

Túrelie: "We can get the Queen."

Ritchie VO: "That's next time on  _Power Rangers GPX Supercharged_!"


	5. Blood in the Snow

Sean VO: "Last time on  _Power Rangers GPX Supercharged_!"

Kevin: "No more Packer gear!"

Daisuke: "What is this?"

Amir: "We are standing in solidarity."

Phaedos: "Killing them [the Rangers] will be unnecessary, but it will speed up Ragnar's plans."

Sean: "I can interpret pictographs, but I can't read runes."

Ragnar: "I will assign Tirna and Túrelie to the Ranger mission."

Power Rangers GPX Supercharged, episode 28: Blood in the Snow

:-:-:-: We're the best chance for humanity, Pow-wer Rang-gers G-P-X, let's go! :-:-:-:

The idea that Tirna and Túrelie would immediately get along was laughable.

While it might had been a good idea at the start, Ingvar was getting  _very_ annoyed and frustrated hearing the two bicker and argue over whose plan was going to be implemented first. They could stall for time, but it was of upmost importance that they attack the Rangers soon. Unfortunately, their bickering and unwillingness to work together delayed the next attack for about a week.

And they just kept going! Ingvar had to force them to talk face-to-face just to get something done! "Why must I work with you?" asked Túrelie.

"The feeling's mutual, honey!" Tirna replied.

Their bickering got worse. Ingvar covered his ears in a desperate attempt, to no avail. He groaned while Túrelie huffed and turned away from Tirna, who did the same. Was there no end to Ingvar's torment? When the traitor Arquen and Túrelie bickered, it was never this trite or horrific to listen to. But when it became clear that Arquen was on the verge of betraying Alfheim, his objections became more obviously treacherous, even if Arquen was not aware of it consciously.

"Will you two BE QUIET!?" Ingvar shouted.

"NO!" Tirna cried out.

"Never!" Túrelie concurred.

"You  _will_ be quiet!" Ingvar replied.

"Why?" asked Tirna.

"Because your bickering is destroying my sanity!" said Ingvar, "And if you continue your useless bickering, you will not stand any chance against the enemy you have in common!"

The two looked at each other for a moment. Ingvar looked between the generals while they had their internal battles. Could Elves and Zordonians really work together? Ragnar was more than willing to work with Phaedos and Tirna for his own personal gain. Whether or not Tirna and Túrelie were going to work together was another matter.

"Fine," said Tirna.

"Very well," said Túrelie.

Ingvar could not have been any more relieved to hear this. So now they were willing to work together. Now came the more difficult duty of actually  _working_ together. Willing to do the action and performing the action are two completely separate concepts. Whatever plan they devised they would have to coordinate their thoughts and movements to ensure success. Now the hard part was ahead.

"What are you going to do now?" he asked.

"We are going to decide," said Tirna. Ingvar sighed while rubbing his face out of exasperation. Confound these two! Even when they had decided to agree to work together they still were not working together! That does it!

"I am going to leave you two in this room!" he shouted, "You may not come out, except to use the facilities, until you do work together and come up with a plan!"

Neither of them had a chance to stop him because he stormed out of the room and slammed the door shut, locking them both inside. That will certainly get them to work!

"He's mad!" Túrelie said to herself, grabbing fistfuls of hair. "What was he thinking?"

"He's nuts if he thinks you and I could work together," said Tirna. The general's voice sounded… uninterested?

"Of course he is," said Túrelie. "I refuse to work with you!"

"Same here, girlie!" Tirna spat, walking up to her.

"You disgust me," said Túrelie, "The way you slouch and act as if you are… unbefitting of a general!"

"And you, miss high-and-mighty," said Tirna, "Don't act like you're perfect with your Elven bullshit—as the humans say."

"Do not use human expressions in front of me!" Túrelie snapped back. "You are the most disgusting vile—" She stopped when she realized that she was just centimeters from Tirna's face. "GET AWAY FROM ME!" she screamed and pushed the Zordonian away.

:-:-:-: PRGPX :-:-:-:

Hitomi had seen snow before, but she'd never seen a blizzard like this. The closest she'd come to seeing this amount of snow was on TV watching the Nagano Olympics back in 1998 and while on the train while leaving Hokkaido. This was different. This was supposed to be part of a massive system covering much of the Midwestern United States dumping several inches of the white stuff in Chicago, Milwaukee and even as far as New Mexico.

"That's a lot of snow," she said, looking out the window of her dorm room, "I'm glad we made it back before nightfall." She could barely see farther than 20 feet out of the window, and the only evidence there was something out there was the faint lights of distant buildings. While it could be romantic, it was not simply because of the fact that there was so much snow out there that someone was trapped out there (indeed right now hundreds of cars are likely getting stuck on Lake Shore Drive in Chicago).

Her roommate Karen Schmidt, however, didn't seem to be too concerned, for the most part. It was obvious judging by her expression that she'd seen some nasty snow before. "I've seen worse," she confirmed. "We were up in the UP a couple years ago and it snowed I think maybe… a foot? I can't exactly remember, but we were ready."

"UP?"

"Upper Peninsula in Michigan," said Karen. "And it wasn't too bad. It only snowed the first day we got there and we were supposed to stay there for a week."

"So it all worked out," said Hitomi.

"Exactly," said Karen. "Oh, and one year we went to the Von Trapp Family Lodge and it snowed I think 14 inches."

"Oh, dear," Hitomi's face went a little pale and she needed to get up. She needed some water! There was a fountain just outside and she rushed out of her room, only to run into some girl walking in the halls. While she looked East Asian, it was simply a matter of habit when she said, " _Gomen nasai!_ " with a bow.

"Um, what?" the girl asked.

"I am so sorry!" Hitomi said in English.

"Oh, very well then," said the girl. She had an accent that sounded strange, but familiar to Hitomi. Perhaps it was British? The girl walked away before Hitomi could say much else.

On the other side of town, Sean, Jimmy, Marty, Ritchie, Arquen and Aaron left a concert put on by a Judas Priest tribute band. Yes, Aaron still had the crutches, but he was being helped by Arquen (who was wearing the beanie covering his ears the whole show). Sean had been singing an off-key rendition of  _Exciter_  as they were leaving, but broke into a vocally spot-on, but off-key impression of Bing Crosby singing "Winter Wonderland".

"Why do you even stop singing that song after Christmas or New Year's?" asked Aaron.

"Because after New Year's we're asking 'when the hell is spring getting here'," said Jimmy.

"And everyone's too miserable to sing it!" said Sean.

"My dad sings that all the time at Packer games!" said Ritchie.

"And I'll bet he sings it when he's out on patrol," said Marty. Ritchie's dad is a Green Bay cop.

"Green Bay guys, they're weird," said Sean. He looked up at the snow and said, "I feel sorry for the poor bastards who have to drive in this."

"Wouldn't matter for us," said Jimmy, "Except for Metoxen, we've all probably had a little too much."

"Yeah, but your buddy Arthur was pounding those son-o'-bitches down," said Marty, "Shouldn't you be fucked up?"

"I have a high tolerance for alcohol," said Arquen.

"Yeah, no kidding," said Marty. "How many did he have? Ten? Fifteen?"

"None of your concern," said Arquen.

"Marty, who the fuck cares?" asked Sean. "We got the day off tomorrow, anyway!"

"How do you know that?" asked Marty.

"Weatherman said they're expecting 16 inches!" Sean said, pointing at the falling snow. They'd reached the eastern edge of campus after walking down State Street by now. Much of the road was covered with the white stuff even though the city's snow plows and salt trucks had been working overtime. While Jimmy and Marty's apartments were nowhere near Langdon Street, they walked in that general direction with everyone else.

The pace was slow because of Aaron's hobbling, but it allowed them to enjoy the snow for a bit longer. "Kinda reminds me of Toronto," said Jimmy, "And we probably wouldn't get a snow day with this!"

"Well yeah, you're from Canadia," Sean teased.

"Yeah, you're right and—what the hell? I didn't know Arthur could walk on snow."

"What?" Arquen was standing on top of a snow bank and it appeared as if he wasn't making an imprint in the snow. Jimmy and Marty were staring at him while he stood on the bank. And Sean, Ritchie and Aaron were silently screaming and gesturing for him to get down off the bank. The stopped when Jimmy and Marty turned around and went back to panicking when they turned back to Arquen. "I did not know this snow was so compact," he said before jumping down.

"You looked like Legolas for a moment there," Jimmy. That didn't go over well with Sean and the others, as the very nervous expressions on their faces could attest.

"Is that so?" asked Arquen, "That's interesting."

"Probably 'cause there's so much snow," said Sean. To illustrate his point, he climbed on top of the snow bank, but jumped down after just a fraction of a second. "See?"

"I guess," said Jimmy. "I'd better get going. I think I'm gonna be sore tomorrow."

"Yeah, same here," said Marty. "Later, O.C."

"Later guys," said Sean. Jimmy and Marty departed and the guys waited until they were out of sight to sigh in relief. "Arquen, be careful!" he hissed.

"Apologies!" said Arquen.

"Come on, let's get going," said Ritchie, "I think my toes are freezing."

"Of all the people to complain about that, I'd expect it to be Ndebele," said Sean.

"Then can I?" asked Aaron.

"Ah fuck it, let's get going," said Sean. "Chicagoans may be tough, but even I don't want to be stuck in this weather."

:-:-:-: Power Rangers GPX :-:-:-:

Sean was smart to get everyone out of the blizzard. By morning, Madison was covered in more white stuff than had fallen in the week of Christmas. The roads, university, schools and government buildings were all closed, and Governor Walker had issued a state of emergency throughout much of southern Wisconsin, all the way to Milwaukee. While it was a nice clear Groundhog Day, there was maybe a foot of snow that covered the ground.

"Now I  _know_ we got the day off!" Sean said, marveling at the wintry scene. Of course, he'd been notified by the University that classes were cancelled. However, not everyone was happy about it.

"I had a guest speaker today!" Maria complained.

"Ah, it's okay," said Sean. "He'll probably reschedule."

"I don't think so," she said. Her sadness decreased, however, when he wrapped his arms around her and hugged her from behind. She couldn't bear to say anything, she just sighed happily and—

"Excuse me! I am in need of assistance!" Damn. She turned to glare at Eruvanda, and it seemed as if the Elf-queen regretted breaking up such a tender moment. "I have been contacted by someone within Alfheim."

That changed things!

Duty first! They rushed into Eruvanda's room and looked on the laptop screen. Sure enough, there was an elf on the other end. The elf looked nervous, his skin shone with obvious sweat and his eyes shifted back and forth. It stopped when he saluted and nodded to the Queen. "It has been a long time, Queen Eruvanda," he said.

"Colonel Tiris," she replied, "I hope the line is secure."

"As secure as possible," he replied. "I am reporting with an update."

"Go ahead."

"There was a rebellion in Alfheim that started minutes after the Rangers defeated Ragnar's force on Christmas Eve," said TIris. "The rebellion was put down, but none of the student leaders were charged."

"They were not charged?" asked Eruvanda."

"Their defense was that they were angry that Ragnar lost," said Tiris. "It is an obvious excuse, but the judges and juries believe their case."

"Have you talked to them?" asked Sean. He didn't want to ask him anything, but something about this guy told him that he could trust him."

"Not yet," said Tiris. "But I will not say anything I need not say."

"A smart move," said Eruvanda. "In return, I will not reveal my plans until the time is right."

"Understood," said Tiris. "If you do, give it to us discreetly. I wish you the best, my Queen." Tiris saluted and the transmission cut off.

"He helped Arquen and I escape," said Eruvanda. "I need your help, Maria."

"What kind of help?" she asked.

"We should ask Rusco if he knows of any more Elves living outside," said Eruvanda. "Perhaps we can make a move."

:-:-:-: PRGPX :-:-:-:

"They have been in there long enough," said Ingvar. "Open the door!"

"Yes, Field Marshal!" The guard signaled to his underlings. They unlocked the door and pulled it open for Ingvar to enter. Once inside, he looked around. There seemed to be some things missing, but other than that, he noticed papers on the desk and pens and pencils out. Tirna and Túrelie stood off to the side at attention with their eyes faced forward.

"Any trouble?" Ingvar asked.

"No, Field Marshal, sir!" said Túrelie.

"Excellent!" Ingvar replied. "What have you agreed upon?"

"A distraction," said Tirna. "We will send a monster after the Rangers and then lure the Queen out."

"What?"

"We can get the Queen," Túrelie replied.

"Absolutely not!" Ingvar shouted. "We have no use for her as it is, why must we divert resources to capture her?"

"Because she can muster an army to take back Alfheim," said Túrelie.

"I see what you are saying," said Ingvar. "Very well, then. But be subtle about it! And do not assume that she is defenseless just because the Rangers are distracted. She still has Arquen around. And knowing those Power Rangers, they may have taught her self-defense. She will not be taken out easily, do you understand?"

"Yes, sir!" said Túrelie.

"Good. Begin the attack when ready." He saluted Tirna and Túrelie. But when they looked at each other, Ingvar could see some kind of tension in their eyes. It was of no concern, though. He had more important things to worry about.

:-:-:-: Power Rangers GPX :-:-:-:

In case you were wondering if students were throwing snowballs around, don't worry. They were. An impromptu snowball fight was taking place on Bascom Hill (where else) that students who had the day off initiated. Snow was flying all around and in every direction imaginable, even vertically!

And of course, it gave Mr. Oneida Rocket himself a chance to get back at Sean. Yes, Ritchie still does not like Sean a whole lot. Old grudges die hard, especially for someone like Ritchie. With an evil grin on his face Ritchie balled up and packed a snowball to throw at the Red Ranger. With a hard wind-up and throw, he heaved the snowball at Sean and thanks to some perfect timing, hit Sean right in the face.

The cold snow stung on Sean's face, to his displeasure. But he had ammunition aplenty. So he scooped up his own bit of snow and was about to heave it at Ritchie. But then he noticed something. Some dumbass was making a whooping gesture at Ritchie. Okay, the two may not like each other that much, but this was inexcusable. Sean flung the snowball hard at the moron.

Just seconds after it hit the asshole in the face, Sean grabbed him by the collar. The expression on the face of the person was one of pure terror. "If you  _ever_ do that again… forget it, you're not worth it." He threw the person to the ground and gestured for him to leave, which they did.

"Wow. Thanks," said Ritchie.

"Any time," said Sean.

"Although I wanted to kick that guy's ass myself," said Ritchie. "Maria doesn't look very happy."

"She still hates snow," said Sean. Maria was sitting at the base of the Abe statue, huddled up and blowing out of her nose, which made Sean laugh only because it was like a cartoon bull. "Ah well, I bitch and moan about how cold it gets all the time, I can't blame her."

"Same here," said Ritchie. "So when are Santa's Little Helpers gonna—"

"Dude, don't say it, we've got—" He stopped, waiting for the explosion. It didn't happen. "Well, that's new."

"Must be used to big explosions happening," said Ritchie.

Well, this time there was no big explosion. Instead, electricity began to crackle around them. The snowball fight slowed to a stop while the other students looked around. It didn't take a genius to figure out what was going on. Everyone who wasn't a Power Ranger turned and ran away while the ones who were Power Rangers also ran so they could hide and morph.

The monster appeared amongst a squad of Suitroops. A rather small squad of Suitroops, given how the Rangers were so used to larger forces. The monster was like a more monstrous Greninja. Obviously no one in-universe will get this. The froggy monster looked around. Its eyes narrowed when it noticed there was no one around.

"PUNCH FROGGY BLUE!" The frog turned just in time to see Sean's boot sole dig into its snout. The foot made contact and he kicked the frog hard. The only reason the frog didn't tumble down Bascom Hill was because the Suitroops caught it.

"GET THEM!" the frog shouted. The Suitroops' visors flashed and they engaged the Rangers.

Sean was quick, punching and kicking the Suitroops aside and to a pulp. He was grabbing the Suitroops and smashing them together and tossing them aside. He had to block the punches and chops from the next incoming Suitroop and remedied the problem by kicking its head off its shoulders. His girlfriend, meanwhile, was stabbing the Suitroops. What looked like some kind of crystal erupted from the Suitroops' bodies. Then Maria took them down with her feet for fists, sometimes a bit of both.

But that meant poor Ritchie had to fight all alone. The thing that made it easier for him was the small number of Suitroops he had to fight. His feet and fists met with the gleaming armor casings while missing the sharp edges on the armor.

By now, the Rangers were used to large mook forces, so this squad of about maybe 15 was a little surprising. But that was not the issue. You take whatever the enemy throws at you and you throw it back tenfold. Even with only three present, the Rangers stuck to their usual strategy: surround the monster, prevent their escape and attack.

Ritchie went first, kicking the frog monster in the face. The frog opened his mouth and a long tongue burst at the Rangers. Ritchie jumped out of the way and grabbed the monster's tongue. As the tongue retracted, Ritchie held on to punch the monster on the nose.

While it rubbed its snout, Maria threw her arm around the frog's neck, holding in place. Before the monster could react, she stabbed it from behind. The frog monster thrashed about and finally threw Maria off of him. But the fluids coming out of him meant that she'd wounded him.

That gave Sean a window of opportunity. He rushed up and threw a kick at the monster, hitting him under the jaw. The monster's tongue shot out, but missed Sean. He punched the monster right in the gut.

A flash of pink came out of the corner of his eye, and Hitomi jumped on the monster's shoulders. The monster collapsed in the snow while Hitomi jumped off. Black stained the snow while the frog tried to get back up.

But that didn't mean it was done for. Its tongue shot out from its mouth, wrapping itself around Sean. The next thing he knew, he was in a daze, trying to get up. His HUD was flashing 'NO INJURY'. Maria was shaking him awake while he stood up from the snow. "Are you okay?" she asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine," he said. He shook himself out and ran to take on the frog.

It was locked in combat with Ritchie and Hitomi. Ritchie was blocking punches on the right, Hitomi on the left. Sean rushed in from the middle and punched the monster in the snout.

"Where are Kevin and Daisuke?" asked Hitomi.

"Focus!" said Sean.

The reason he didn't answer was because he knew where they were. They hadn't left the house yet. Of course, now they'd gotten the alert and had bolted out of the house, leaving the two Elven lovebirds and AJ behind.

However, right after they left, Suitroops began to appear as if out of nowhere. Well, not entirely out of nowhere.

Inside the house, Arquen and Eruvanda were snuggled up on the couch, watching some DVDs with AJ curled up next to Lizzie's feet. "This _Gatchaman_ is rather odd," she said.

"Well, human fiction," said Arquen. "I suppose our myths and legends would be—" he paused and became alert.

"I hear it too," she said. Elf-ears can pick up things humans cannot. The other being with sharper senses than humans perked up, jumped off the couch and ran to the door, barking loudly. Now Beagles are typically not great guard dogs. AJ is an exception. AJ could smell the malicious scent of an enemy outside the door, much like how he was able to tell Floki was no good back in December.

Arquen hurriedly paused the movie so he could take Eruvanda's hand and lead her to their room upstairs. The sight of Suitroops searching the street was not something they wanted to see. "Are they—"

"I suspect they are," Arquen finished. Being a former general, he knew what the strategy was and he did not bother to say what it was. In fact, he had used this strategy himself against Sean. Just to be safe, he moved away from the window so he could get the gun that Rob had left for the Rangers.

"What should we do?" asked Eruvanda.

"Call the police," said Arquen. "They want us to fall for their trap. It will make it easier to kill us."

"Then we must not grant their wish," said Eruvanda. "I hope the others win soon."

Speaking of them, Kevin and Daisuke had just shown up, morphed and kicked the froggie in the snout. The frog responded by trying to kick them, but they ducked. As soon as the frog pivoted, it was met with Ritchie's fist. It countered with a punch of its own, but Ritchie ducked and Hitomi jumped on his back and kicked the frog in the snout.

While this was going on, the frog was still bleeding. Black stains dotted the snow, leaving a trail from Bascom Mall to the statue of Abe. "Think we should let it surrender?" asked Maria. "It's dying."

"Are you sure?" asked Sean. Maria nodded. "You! Froggie!" he called, "You're bleeding profusely! If you surrender, we'll treat your wounds and place you in hiding!"

The stopped to think. The Rangers stayed prepared for whatever answer in would give them. But they kept their arms to the sides to show they meant the monster no harm. "Liars!" he called back.

"You wouldn't be the first one we offered amnesty to!" Kevin replied.

The frog was confused. How could this be possible? "But you—"

"Are just doing our jobs," said Ritchie.

"LIARS!" the frog shouted back.

Sean sighed and rolled his head. Why did they always want to do it the hard way? "We're not lying!" he called back.

"I would rather die than accept help from you!" the frog shouted back, then shooting his tongue out at the Rangers.

"Suit yourself," Sean sighed. He grabbed the frog's tongue and held on while it retracted and punched the monster right in the snout.

Kevin lunged forward and grabbed the frog monster, dragging him away and tossing him to the side. The sight of free-flowing blood made him pause not out of weakness, but out of human decency. But the frog didn't care about human decency, and speared Kevin hard. With his pants stained black with blood, he wrapped his legs around the frog in an attempt to weaken the monster.

But it wasn't good enough. The monster broke the hold and lifted Kevin up. But Daisuke kicked the monster hard under the jaw, making him let Kevin go. Then Daisuke kicked the monster again. The monster blocked. But Daisuke followed up with a punch to the monster's chest.

But the frog's wounds made the Rangers hesitant to attack. It was far too easy and far too cruel. Of course, that meant the monster was going to goad them into attacking. He lunged at Hitomi, grabbing her collar. But Daisuke ripped him off and kneed him in the jaw.

In a furious rage, Daisuke pummeled the monster so hard that he had no idea what he was doing. That is, until Ritchie and Maria grabbed him and pulled him away from the monster. By then he could see that he'd beaten the monster rather severely. "My gods," he whispered as if he did not know his own anger.

"This is your last warning!" Sean called out. "Surrender and we'll let you live! Fight and well, I think you know what happens, either way."

"Night is falling," said the frog, "My vision is dimming. I have served my purpose." Ritchie and Kevin ran over to the monster and tried to pull it up. But, the limp limbs and lack of pulse could only mean one thing.

"He's dead," said Kevin.

To say that it hit the Rangers hard might be an understatement. Yes, they have killed monsters before. But they just went splodey. This, however, was different.

" _Rangers! We got an emergency call! Suitroops over on Langdon Street, near your house_!" Well that didn't last long!

"Ah, shit!" Sean hissed. "LET'S MOVE!" He had to pull the stunned Maria along.

Arquen had not fired the gun the entire time the Suitroops were out on the street. But he could see the frightened citizens peeking out through their windows, desperately hoping the enemy would go away. He shook his head. War is such folly. As if he needed more guilt thrust upon his conscience.

"Did you call the police?" asked Eruvanda.

"Yes, I did," said Arquen. "They said an officer was close—"

They heard sirens coming from the west. A patrol car pulled up and the officer stepped out. He said something into his shoulder walkie-talkie and waited. Then he cracked his knuckles and punched a Suitroop. Aruqen and Eruvanda knew instantly that it was Rob. He didn't take long to wipe the floor with the Suitroops, perhaps just a couple minutes.

And once the Rangers came back, they were surprised to see the cops in full force. Rob noticed them and nodded, indicating the situation was under control. They used the opportunity to leave and power down, returning a couple minutes later.

"We're back!" Sean called out.

"We're in here!" Arquen called from the kitchen. "They attempted to pull a 'divide and conquer strategy', in case you did not figure that out."

"We did," said Sean, "At the last moment, after we watched a monster bleed to death, and now I'm afraid my girlfriend is traumatized."

"Oh, that is not pleasant," said Arquen. "Still, you should be glad you came back well before nightfall."

"Yeah, sure," said Sean.

"And, should we leave so they do not come after us?" he asked again.

"No," said Sean, "Don't give those bastards any victory. You could try Rusco, but he's getting busy with his activism and his daughter's graduating. Besides, we like you too much."

"Very much appreciated," said Arquen. Sean nodded and walked away to go and find Maria.

"I did not want to leave anyway," said Eruvanda.

"If that is what you wish," said Arquen.

Upstairs, Sean opened the door to Maria's room to see her in tears. Yes, she's a tough lady, but this… this was too much. "Hey, what's wrong?"

She sniffed and looked up at Sean. "I've never killed anyone in my life," she whimpered. "What have I done?"

"Hey, come on," he said. He walked over to her bed and wrapped his arms around her. Anyone needs a hug in this situation. Yes, she will have to go to therapy, but this helps a lot. "You're not a murderer," he said.

" _Gracias_."

"Come on, let's go downstairs. Hitomi's still here, she'll gladly help." He took her by the hand and led her downstairs.

:-:-:-: PRGPX :-:-:-:

Kevin VO: "Next time on  _Power Rangers GPX Supercharged_!"

Sean: "So you're Hitomi's new boyfriend?"

Kevin: "Sean!"

Ragnar: "What does it take to beat them?"

Maelstrom: "I need to tell you something."

Túrelie: "I HATE YOU!"

Sean: "GET HIM OUT!"

Kevin VO: "That's next time on  _Power Rangers GPX Supercharged_!"


	6. Aamir

Daisuke VO: "In the previous chapter of 'Power Rangers GPX Supercharged',"

Ingvar: [To Tirna and Túrelie] "You may not come out until you do work together and come up with a plan!"

Sean: "Weatherman said they're expecting 16 inches!" [Of snow]

Arquen: [While standing on a snow bank and nearly blowing his cover] "I did not know this snow was so compact."

Tiris: "It has been a long time, Queen Eruvanda."

Eruvanda: "I will not reveal my plans until the time is right."

Tirna: "We will send a monster after the Rangers and then lure the Queen out."

Sean: [To the wounded frog monster] "You're bleeding profusely! If you surrender, we'll treat your wounds and place you in hiding!"

[ _The frog monster declines and dies after losing too much blood. The Rangers are shocked, but they have to return to their house to deal with some Suitroops. However, Rob already took care of them_ ]

Power Rangers GPX Supercharged episode 29: Aamir

:-:-:-: We're the best chance for humanity, Pow-wer Rang-gers G-P-X, let's go! :-:-:-:

Thanks to the weather, Lake Mendota had completely frozen over. That meant that anyone could step out onto the lake and play. Much of the snow was off the ice, so a few people were going ice skating. Some of them were hockey players.

Now a frozen lake, pond or river is sacred ground for a hockey player. For many, it's where they first started playing hockey, hence why the Winter Classic and other outdoor games are so popular. It's a sense of nostalgia for many a hockey player; cold air, learning how to skate for the first time, scoring goals, it's very much like those Saturday morning cartoons that become a big part of anyone's childhood.

The Wisconsin hockey team had a week off from the grueling schedule, but as you can tell by that last passage, some of the players were spending their off-day playing lake hockey. The sound of skates on the ice—the act of skating, stopping, turning, starting—and a puck hitting a stick and then shuffling to the other stick filled the air, the sounds themselves are the most wonderful for any hockey fan or player.

Those who did not play hockey sat on the side sipping hot chocolate, coffee and tea while watching these fellows relive their childhoods… and get in a few chirps.

"Metoxen has the puck, he darts past the defense, looks to fire a slap shot—"

"STOLEN by O'Callahan!" Sean interrupted, cackling all the way. "Ha ha, gotcha man!"

"Come back here, flatlander!" Ritchie shouted, chasing Sean. Ritchie might be faster than Sean, but Sean had a head start by now and once he got close to the other net, he stopped and turned like Patrick Kane does while Ritchie sped past. Then Sean took the puck past Ritchie.

"O'Callahan with the wrister shot, SCORES!" Cue Sean showboating like he just won the Stanley Cup with the Hawks.

"Hockey players," Maria muttered on the sideline. "I'll never understand them."

"Neither will I," said Janet.

"You both realize you're  _dating_ hockey players, correct?" Kevin interjected. "Besides, ruggers are worse."

"This is turning into an unnecessary competition," said Daisuke.

"Although soccer players are the best," Aaron smugly finished.

"Alright guys, let's take a break!" Jimmy said. Captain in the arena, captain out of the arena.

"WHAT!? I'm not done yet!" Rtichie shouted.

"Yeah, he hasn't had enough of losing," Sean cracked.

"Oh, shut up! I've beaten you before!"

"Oh, puh-leaze, you never beat me when it mattered!" Sean replied.

"Hey, heyheyhey, cut it out, you two!" Jimmy interrupted.

"Fuck this," Janet huffed, standing up. Kevin crossed his legs and watched while Janet skated towards the fighting hockey players and started doing spins, twirls and jumps for some reason. Well, not no reason, because Ritchie stopped and watched her looking like a deer in the headlights while Sean snapped his fingers in front of him. It only took a moment for Sean to look and realize what Janet was doing.

"Hey, if it works," said Jimmy.

"I think we've got a new nickname for those two," Sean added, "Cutting Edge."

"I hated when Bridge made us watch that movie," said Jimmy. "Say, isn't that your friend Hitomi?"

Sean turned towards the shoreline and he saw Hitomi off in the distance. She was being accompanied by someone he'd never seen before. Well, it was pretty obvious this was the guy she'd been talking about for a while. Well, Sean needed to meet this guy. "Wait for me, will ya?" he asked. Jimmy nodded and Sean skated off to meet the person. Kevin stood up and followed Sean.

Sean stopped in front of the pair. Hitomi appeared to be especially excited to be there. Her new friend had sort of a Bollywood air about his appearance. Sean could certainly tell he was handsome, but a little nervous to be there.

"Sean," Hitomi eagerly began, "This is Aamir Kapoor." Aamir smiled and extended his hand for Sean to shake while Kevin walked up behind him.

"Oh, so you're Hitomi's new boyfriend!" he joked after taking off his glove to shake Aamir's hands.

"Sean!" Kevin groaned.

Hitomi and Aamir were blushing, but Aamir composed himself. "Well, I'm just her friend," he said.

"S'alright," Sean said, adjusting his Bauer helmet. "I was just teasing."

"Oh gee, I could not tell," Kevin snarked.

"So where ya from?" asked Sean.

"I'm from Mumbai," said Aamir. "And I'm 19 years old, in case you're wondering."

"That'll make her brother happy," said Kevin.

"And what were you doing?" asked Aamir.

"Playing lake hockey," Sean said while pointing at the pick-up game on the lake. "And now I'm looking around for the dancers. You two haven't done any cheesy Bollywood dance scenes yet, have you?"

"Sean!"

"Just kidding!" Sean said to Kevin. "So Aamir, have you ever watched hockey before?"

Aamir took a moment to think and shook his head. "I don't think so."

"Then today's your lucky day!" Sean said while patting him on the shoulder. "We're with the University's hockey team, so lucky you!" He skated off while Kevin, Aamir and Hitomi followed.

"Don't worry about him," said Kevin. "He may see himself as like an older brother for her, but it's the more teasing kind. It's her  _real_ brother you have to worry about."

"Sounds… interesting," Aamir said nervously. "But I have to say, I'm not a very good dancer."

"Knowing him, I doubt that's what he meant," said Kevin. For a moment, Aamir was pretty confused until he thought about what Kevin was trying to say… and blushed five shades of red.

"Don't worry!" Hitomi assured, "He's just teasing!"

"Why, have you already?" asked Kevin.

"NO!" Aamir squeaked in a panic. Kevin raised his eyebrow in skepticism.

"You'll have to answer to Daisuke," said Kevin.

"Oh, no," Aamir groaned.

Boy, was it awkward. The poor bastard was too scared to even look at Daisuke. In his defense, Daisuke was glaring at him. He must have thought that intimidating Aamir was more important than watching an actually pretty good hockey game. Aamir, to his credit, was trying to watch the game, even though he had no idea how the sport was played.

"… No, no, my dad lived in Beverly, and patrolled in Lincoln Park and he took me to high school up there!" Sean said. Please note that from now on, Sean's moms will be partially retconned as living in the Lincoln Park neighborhood of Chicago. Explanation for this is at the bottom.

"Hey, don't get defensive, I'm just—who the fuck is that?" Ritchie asked while pointing at Aamir.

"That dude's Hitomi's new boyfriend," said Sean. "He's an Indian—from Mumbai."

"Oh, he is?" asked Ritchie. "I need to meet that guy."

"GOTCHA!" Sean shouted after slotting a puck past Ritchie's goal. He showboated in front of Ritchie while the Oneida Rocket stood around in disbelief, cursing himself for getting distracted.

:-:-:-: PRGPX :-:-:-:

Ragnar paced around his office with Túrelie and Tirna standing at attention. "What does it take to defeat them?" he asked. "We understand they are a persistent lot. We understand they are excellent at combat. But there must be a weakness to them."

"They are only human," Túrelie interjected.

"But trained to be superhuman," said Ragnar.

"Of course," Túrelie said to herself.

"Wear them down?" asked Tirna.

"We have been doing that," said Ragnar.

"Perhaps if we attack while they are not transformed?" asked Túrelie.

"And they will still find a way to transform," said Ragnar. "This is not an easy situation. And you should have killed Arquen and the Queen, had you not made the same mistake he made in targeting the Red Ranger." The two of them diverted their eyes sheepishly.

"Perhaps if we attempted to instill anti-Ranger sentiment among the humans?" asked Túrelie.

"Thanks to Kalderon, that's already there," said Tirna. Túrelie glared at the Zordonian for stealing her idea.

But Ragnar could see something else, and he did not like it one bit. "You do not know what to do," he said. Tirna and Túrelie tried to explain themselves, but it was to no avail. Ragnar stormed out of the office, leaving the two generals behind. Now Túrelie has gotten control of her sanity back. But, what she was about to unleash had nothing to do with said sanity, and everything to do with her frustration.

"I HATE YOU!" she screamed at Tirna.

"AND I YOU!" Tirna shouted back. Túrelie grabbed Tirna by the collar and shoved the Zordonian general to the floor. The next several minutes were a blur to the both of them, but in the end, the guards had to force Túrelie off of Tirna's neck.

:-:-:-: Power Rangers GPX :-:-:-:

"Aamir, you're just in time!" Sean said while answering the door.

"Sorry I had to get here after nightfall," Aamir replied, ripping his gloves off and storming into the house. "How do you get used to the cold, anyhow?"

"Practice," Sean replied. "Alright, just step in, take your coat and boots off, come in and meet everyone, check out the chicken tacos we're making, stay away from the older brother who wants to strangle you, but most importantly, have fun!"

"Wait, what did you say?" asked Aamir.

"I said have fun!" Sean replied. Sadly, that did not help poor Aamir's confidence. It was as if Sean was too eager to see him fail. There was no attempt by Sean to calm him down, just a push from the Irish-American into the kitchen.

Along with the wafting smell of cooking chicken, Aamir noticed two new figures. He'd heard Hitomi allude to them before, but other than that, nothing. "Oh, sorry Aamir, those are our new housemates!" said Sean. "Girl's name is Lizzie Kingston, dude's name is Arthur Adel. He's Swedish, but he doesn't have an accent."

"What?" Arthur (Arquen) asked, looking up from the lettuce he was chopping.

"And this dude in the Brew Crew shirt is Ritchie Metoxen, our resident Indian," he continued, patting Ritchie on the shoulder.

"You don't look Indian," said Aamir.

"Wrong Indian," Ritchie replied. "You did that on purpose, didn't you?"

"What makes you say that?" asked Sean.

"You like messing with me."

"True."

"And you're obviously a troll."

"I dunno about that."

"Will you two stop bickering?" said Kevin, "We have a guest."

"Right, where was I?" Ritchie composed himself, "Ah yes, the name's Ritchie. What's yours?"

"Aamir Kapoor. I'm from Mumbai."

"So you're an Indian  _from_ India," said Ritchie, "Another reason 'Native American' makes sense."

"I suppose—Sean, what is it?" Aamir asked.

"Ah, nothing, just got a phone call," Sean replied, checking his iPhone screen and walking out of the kitchen. Outside, he answered. "Yes?"

" _What's the update, Red?_ " Maelstrom asked on the other end.

"Not much, Pink has a new boyfriend," said Sean, "Dude's name is Aamir Kapoor."

" _Kapoor?_ " Maelstrom asked. A simple grunt from Sean confirmed it. "Hold on." It took about a minute before Maelstrom was back, saying, "I need to tell you something."

"Yeah, what?" Sean asked.

" _His father is the president of the company that manufactured your morphers_."

"He is? Oh, you gotta be kidding me."

" _Is there a problem?_ " Maelstrom asked.

"Yeah, now you're gonna make us babysit him," said Sean,

" _Just keep him out of trouble_ ," said Maelstrom. He hung up before Sean could respond. He sighed, muttering something about how unhelpful Maelstrom was, and re-entered the kitchen. Maria was silently fangirling over Aamir and Hitomi's interactions, while Daisuke fumed at both her and Aamir. Aamir, meanwhile, was petting AJ.

"What is his name?" asked Aamir.

"AJ," said Sean. "He's a Beagle. The shelter named him after AJ Hawk—unfortunately." He growled after saying the name of the hated Packer linebacker. "I'm trying to get him to answer to Payton from now on. It has the same number of syllables and it's named after a Chicago Bear."

"I'm sorry, but I still don't know anything about American football," Aamir nervously laughed.

"Don't worry, just stick around us and you'll learn a thing or two," Ritchie said while wrapping his arm around Aamir's shoulder. "First things first: Anything with an orange wishbone 'C' is bad."

"Don't start now, Metoxen," Kevin warned.

:-:-:-: PRGPX :-:-:-:

If you believed that Ragnar wanted no mentions of the Christmas Eve defeat, you're mistaken. Being a propaganda enthusiast, Ragnar commissioned a song from a "lucky" bard to praise the bravery of the Elven soldiers and verbally stick it to the Rangers.

But the bard had to perform this song in front of the bratty, inbred King Eärello. The young King listened as the bard told the story of how the Elves fought valiantly, but could not stop the devious Power Rangers. The bard's voice quivered whilst singing, as the King watched with those mad eyes of his. When he finished, Eärello stayed silent, despite the applause of Ragnar, Ingvar, Túrelie, Phaedos and Tirna. Eärello was forced to applaud as well.

"Well done, bard," he said, much to the bard's relief. "Now tell me, which would you rather keep? Your hands or your tongue?"

The applause stopped instantly. Eyes glanced around in surprise. The bard held his instrument to his chest saying, "B-b-but Your Grace, I did as I was told, I—"

"Oh, I commend you for that," said Eärello, "But your insult of the Rangers sounded more like simple chiding."

"Your grace," the bard begged, "I have never written a hate-filled song before. I sing about love—"

"Which would you rather keep, bard?" Eärello interrupted, "Your hands or your tongue?

"No one can live without hands, Your Grace," said the bard.

"Good, then your tongue it is!" A guard walked up to the bard and grabbed him while another reached for his sword and heated it with his energy staff. The bard begged and begged for Eärello's forgiveness, until Ragnar raised his hand.

"That will be enough," he said.

"Ragnar!" Eärello spat, "What is the meaning of this?"

"In my opinion, this bard has done nothing wrong," said Ragnar. "If anything, he is to be commended for attempting to write a song praising our men, do you not agree?"

"I suppose," Eärello sat back in his throne.

"Let the bard go," said Ragnar. The guards obeyed his order, but a glance from Ragnar made one of the guards grab the bard's instrument and smash it like Pete Townshend would a guitar. Needless to say, this hurt the bard just as much as getting his tongue cut out would.

"What of the campaign, Ragnar?" asked Eärello.

"We have found the son of the head of the company that manufactures the Rangers' weapons," said Ragnar. "We intend to deal with him."

"I like this plan," said Eärello. "Get him, Ragnar!"

"At once, Your Grace," Ragnar said with a bow. He turned to Túrelie and Tirna. Túrelie pressed a device and teleported away.

:-:-:-: Power Rangers GPX :-:-:-:

Sundays were supposed to be quiet. Well, not this Sunday. It was Super Bowl Sunday, and Madison was decked out in Packer Green & Gold for—ah, fuck it! Who am I kidding!? Just seeing all those colors are enough to make me sick and remind me about the heart break of the 2010-11 Bears season. So fuck those colors  _and_ the team.

Sean had no intention of watching the Big Game, for the simple reason that he hated both the Packers and Steelers. The only consolation he had from this day was the fact that Ritchie was barred from wearing Packer colors and gear, and even that was too much. There was simply way too much Super Bowl talk going on. So he watched the Puppy Bowl instead. At least AJ would like it.

But Aamir was walking across campus, hoping to get to the bookstore (if it was still open) so he could pick something up that he desperately needed.

The ground began to crackle with electricity. Aamir was quick to notice this. "How could cement conduct electricity?" he said to himself. "What's going—"

His question was answered when a platoon of Suitroops suddenly appeared in the Library Mall. Another figure, this one more monstrous, also appeared.

He could not tell what animal it was at all. It seemed too monstrous to be an animal. But the flight or fight instincts kicked in, and he tried to run.

Meanwhile, Sean was lying on the couch, watching puppies playing on TV. AJ had stopped growling and barking at them about half an hour ago. Instead he looked a little envious of the toys they were playing with… well, that's what Sean thought. He's a dog, how could Sean tell what he was thinking?

The beeping sounds coming from his morpher alerted him to the emergency. Immediately he jumped off the couch and got his jacket on. "EMERGENCY!" he called out, "LIBRARY MALL!" The others stopped whatever they were doing and followed him out the door.

Aamir was so focused on escaping that he was almost hit by oncoming traffic while running east. He stopped and ran to the west, but remembered that some Suitroops were chasing him.

"GET HIM!" the monster shouted. The Suitroops dove for Aamir, but he ducked and ran as fast as he could. The monster got on his way and tried to grab him, but a yellow boot collided with the monster's ugly face.

Maria, who was going to the Walgreen's near campus, was closest enough to the Library Mall, and began to fight the monster. Maria's fists flew at the monster, only for her to be swamped by Suitroops. She grabbed their bodies and flung them to the side with a mighty roar.

"RUN!" she shouted.

Aamir did not hesitate and began to run away. She got in between the monster and him, putting up her dukes and getting ready. With a wave of his hand, the monster sent a large number of Suitroopes at her.

Instead of backing down, she fought harder, blocking and fending off the Suitroops. Her kicks met their mark, and she was too quick for the Suitroops to stop her feet. She ducked down and swept a few off their feet.

However, that gave the monster an opening. She noticed this and moved as quickly as she could to grab the monster. But the monster was beyond her reach.

No matter. Instead of stopping, she took off in pursuit of the monster. She managed to catch up and spun the monster around to punch it hard. It, however, kicked her feet out from under her and kicked her in the helmet.

This only served to make her angry. But the monster took off again and this time, managed to catch poor Aamir. However, a pair of blaster shots stopped him.

Hitomi jumped into the fray, tackling the monster from the air. "GO!" she screamed to Aamir. Again, he didn't bother to question it. He took off like a rocket to the north, hoping to get some distance between him and the Suitroops. Hitomi held them off, as well.

Unfortunately, despite their best efforts, the monster hit Maria on the helmet. While she stumbled about in a daze, it ran and grabbed Aamir. This was right as the other Rangers arrived on the scene with some numbers.

However, the monster turned around. "HOLD IT!" he shouted. They did so, freezing in place. "Drop your weapons!" They'd already summoned their weapons.

They looked at each other, wondering what they should do. However, at Sean's lead, they dropped their weapons. They weren't happy about it, though. "What's so important about him?" Sean asked.

"What? Don't you know who he is?" the monster taunted. "His father is the president of the company that made  _your_ morphers!"

" _Kyā_!?" Aamir shouted, "What are you talking about!?"

"Oh, you didn't know!" the monster taunted. "Ha ha, well now, this just made things more interesting!"

"LET HIM GO!" Sean shouted.

"MAKE ME!" the monster shouted back.

"We just dropped our weapons!" Sean replied. "What more do you want!?"

"Surrender your morphers!" the monster replied.

"COME AND TAKE THEM!" Sean shot back.

"Well, then, I may have to kill him!" the monster replied. He placed his claw near poor Aamir's neck. The Rangers grabbed their weapons in reflex. "Go ahead, I dare ya!" he taunted.

Sean growled loudly. The monster then decided to rub some salt into their wounds. "Come on, I know you can do this! Just kill me already!"

They hesitated. Kevin had already raised his rifle up to fire, but he'd already begun to shake. The monster did not notice this. All it noticed was some seething Power Rangers.

A blast of blue energy suddenly whizzed past. The monster had jumped in the air to dodge it, taking Aamir with him. But another blast forced him to drop the poor bastard. "GET HIM AND HELP HIM OUT!" Sean shouted.

Hitomi immediately ran and jumped forward to catch him and landed with him safely. "Go! Run!" she said once she put him down.

Aamir was a little surprised, seemingly recognizing Hitomi's voice. However, he didn't bother questioning her and ran off. Hitomi turned around and ran back to the fray.

Sean had thrown a kick to the monster's head. It blocked him, but Sean slashed him with the GT Sword. Daisuke was next, also slashing him with his Mountain Staff. He whacked him with the back of his staff which left him to a hard punch from Kevin and a knee from Ritchie. Kevin grabbed the monster and threw him to the ground and he punched the monster hard on the snout.

Maria was close behind, but had to deal with the remaining Suitroops. It was of no concern, though. You gotta take care of the small things first. Once they were down, she ran forward and kicked the monster in the head.

"HEY!" Hitomi shouted while kicking a Suitroop in the head. She ran to the monster and kicked it in the head.

The monster grabbed Hitomi and tossed her aside. Maria didn't take to kindly to that, and kicked the monster hard in the jaw. Sean followed his girlfriend and tackled the monster. It nearly crashed into the fountain in the middle of the quad, but just missed. The monster flipped him over, but he landed safely. Kevin, though, was not too far behind and picked the monster up, only for it to whack him to the side.

Daisuke was next, along with Hitomi. The two threw an almost-perfectly synchronized kick at the monster. It hit the monster and knocked it back for Ritchie. He punched the monster in the back, apparently injuring its spine, or whatever it looked like happened. But the monster kicked the Oneida Rocket hard.

But Maria flew in and kicked the monster again. Her boyfriend caught her and tossed her back at the monster. She followed it up with a hard punch to the monster's jaw. With an excellent follow-through, she kicked it in the head.

The monster was not happy one bit. Judging by whatever facial expression they could interpret, it was not about to lose just yet. It swung its claws at the Rangers, and connected with Hitomi. Sparks flew from the Pink Ranger and the others gathered around her to shield her from the monster's attacks. The monster bellowed and barreled forward.

Kevin and Ritchie stepped up and stopped the monster in its tracks. However, it pushed harder and harder on them. Their boots squealed like tires as they tried to keep it in place.

However, it was just enough for Maria to leap in and kick the monster in the head. Now that it was dazed, Kevin lifted it up and tossed it to the ground, causing a dent in the concrete.

"Get out of here!" Sean said, "You've lost!"

"No, I haven't!" the monster replied. It took a swipe at Sean, which he caught. He kicked the monster's chest—or whatever that was and threw the claw back at it. He jumped back when the monster countered. Ritchie followed up and got some payback for what the monster did to him, kicking it in the jaw.

The frustrated monster cursed under his breath. The Rangers regrouped and pointed their weapons at the monster. "We'll give you a chance to surrender," said Sean.

"Never!" the monster replied. "You will have to kill me!"

The Rangers froze. The monster did not notice this until he saw their hesitation. "Are you scared?" he called, "Are you hesitating because you know you will be taking another life? Isn't it interesting; holding someone's life in your hand?"

"I-I-I—"

"Well? What is your answer, Red Ranger?" asked the monster. "Don't tell me you're getting scared. You've been doing this for nearly a year and you're already coming to grips with the fact that you have been killing living beings, aren't you?"

"What is he doing?" asked Ritchie.

"Shut up," Sean growled, "JUST SHUT THE HELL UP!"

"Oh, but why should I?" asked the monster, "Especially when I can do THIS!" he lunged at the Rangers, swiping them all at the same time. Sparks erupted from their suits while they screamed in agony. The monster was unrelenting, thrashing them about. "I lost my target, but now I can take out my frustrations on you."

"SUPERCHARGE!" Sean shouted. They jammed their keys into their blasters and pointed them at the monster.

"I would like to see you try!" he shouted. He lunged at them again and took a big swipe that knocked them all back again.

Ritchie raised his ax-blaster at the monster. The monster noticed him and kicked him in the chest. "GOLD!" Hitomi shouted and tackled the monster.

Once she got up, she pointed her blaster at the monster, and so did the others. Sean's hands quivered while he tried to aim. The monster slowly began to get up from his dazed spot. The monster noticed them about to shoot and lunged at them.

But they hesitated. It was only a split second, but it felt longer than that. Could they really do this? After and then they watched that frog monster bleed to death?

A blast of blue struck the monster, sending sparks flying. The Rangers reflexively pulled their triggers and fired. The monster screamed in agony and fell to the ground to explode in a shower of sparks.

The Rangers silently stared back, unsure of what had just happened. Their suits disappeared in a flash of light, but they were still in shock. "What happened?" asked Kevin.

"I think we got scared," said Maria. "No, wait, we didn't."

"Let's get out of here," said Sean, his voice full of melancholy.

"If you insist," said Maria. "But where did that blast come from?"

Across the other side of the Mall, Rusco lowered his energy staff while shaking his head. "Did you have to do it?" A small voice asked behind him.

Gina, Hitomi's friend from her final semester at high school, and Rusco's daughter, shook her head unhappily.

"Unfortunately, I did," said Rusco. "Although I wish I had not."

"What's wrong with them?" asked Gina.

"They have come to realize their actions," said Rusco, "They may be monsters they are fighting, but they are still living creatures. Realizing you have just taking a life can be a massive shock."

"Oh, geez," said Gina, "Poor Hitomi!"

"Feel bad for all of them," said Rusco. "They are only human."

:-:-:-: PRGPX :-:-:-:

Maria VO: "Next time, on  _Power Rangers GPX Supercharged_!"

Ingvar: "They  _HESITATED!_ "

Túrelie: "Get away from me."

Protestors: " _KILL THE BILL_!"

Daisuke: "You are foolish."

Sean: "Oh, fuck you!"

Monster: "Do you honestly think you can kill me?"

Kevin: "This cannot be happening."

Maria: "That's next time on  _Power Rangers GPX Supercharged_!"


	7. Guilt

Hitomi VO: "Last time on  _Power Rangers GPX Supercharged_!"

Hitomi: "Sean, this is Aamir Kapoor."

Aamir: "I'm just her friend."

Ragnar: "There must be a weakness to them."

Maelstrom: " _His father is the president of the company that manufactured your morphers._ "

Ragnar: "We intend to deal with him."

Monster: "Surrender your morphers!"

Sean: "COME AND TAKE THEM!"

Monster: "You've been doing this for nearly a year and you're already coming to grips with the fact that you have been killing living beings, aren't you?"

Rusco: "They are only human."

Power Rangers GPX Supercharged, episode 30: Guilt

:-:-:-: We're the best chance for humanity, Pow-wer Rang-gers G-P-X, let's go! :-:-:-:

"What were they thinking?" Ragnar asked whilst reviewing footage of their most recent battle with the Rangers.

"I know not, Commander," said Ingvar.

"Neither do I," said Túrelie. Each time they reviewed the footage, they figuratively scratched their heads at the behavior of the Rangers. Each time, the monster took advantage of their behavior. And yet, Phaedos and Tirna only rolled their eyes. Were they this stupid? Wisest and fairest of all beings, yeah right!

"Why don't you just raise the volume?" Phaedos roughly asked.

"You keep your mouth shut!" Ingvar snapped. But Ragnar held his hand out.

"No, he has a point," said Ragnar. "What are they saying?"

The volume was raised and now they could hear the monster taunting them. They looked at each other each time. He was certainly laying into them, but they were unaware of why they were not—wait.

Ingvar leaned forward. He had an inkling of suspicion, but he could not be sure. He listened intently to the monster and the Rangers, and then looked at their body language. It was impossible! But it made so much sense! There could only be one thing they were doing.

"He is goading them," he started, "Because he knows… they  _HESITATED!_ "

"What?" asked Ragnar.

"Listen to him!" Ingvar replied. "He is taunting them because he knows they cannot harm a living being, and thus they  _HESITATED_!"

Realization struck all of them. Ragnar turned back to the screen and listened to the monster taunting them about their guilty conscience. "I see it now!" Ragnar said. "They have just realized what they have been doing for the past year!"

"Now it makes sense!" said Túrelie. "It must have been the frog we sent last time, the one who bled to death! Now they know what they are doing!"

"The realization they have taken another life!" said Ingvar, "They are in shock!"

"They are human, after all," said Ragnar.

"Congratulations, you figured it out!" said Tirna.

"Silence, you!" Ingvar snapped. "Now we have a strategy; guilt-trip them and once they are unwilling to fight, we will relieve them of their lives!"

"Like  _that's_  going to work," said Phaedos.

"You are not human, you do not know these emotions," said Ragnar. "Prepare another attack. We will use their own guilt against them."

"Yes, Commander!" Ingvar saluted and departed. Ragnar turned to Túrelie, Phaedos and Tirna to salute—all three of them returned the salute—and departed as well. Tirna departed, followed by Túrelie and Phaedos. Túrelie turned right, Tirna to the left. But she felt someone following her.

The extra set of footsteps certainly did not help matters. Whomever was following her was not fooling her at all trying to mask their steps with hers. She could see their shadow while she kept walking. Enough of this. She began to slowly run faster. The pursuer also walked faster. She was getting angry. She knew who it was. But she had no intention of talking to them. Why must she? He was an infuriating pile of scum.

Humans were more worth talking to than he was.

She was not happy when he caught her. He grabbed her arm but she turned around and grabbed Phaedos by the neck. "Nice to see you, too," he said.

"What do you want?" she asked in a dark voice.

"Nothing, I just wanted to talk," he said.

"Liar."

"I'm so hurt," he said. She glared at him as it was obvious he was lying to her.

"State your business and get it over with," she said.

"I heard you tried to strangle Tirna," said Phaedos. She was not about to take part in this discussion, she ripped her arm out of his grip. He slammed his hand on the wall to block her path. "That's a lot of nerve you got, trying to strangle a Zordonian," he said, getting in her face.

"I despise you," she said with the utmost venom she could muster.

"I know you do," he replied. "But you don't despise me."

"Of course I do," she replied. "You are a vile creature, and that is not bringing your species into this."

"Is that the best you've got?"

"You are a smug, arrogant lowlife."

"And you're an uptight bitch."

"I find nothing wrong with that," she replied, "At least I have standards."

"So do I," he replied. "But there's something I've done that you haven't."

"What?" she asked.

"I nearly killed the Rangers single-handedly."

"Are you going to brag about that until the end of your days, or are you going to finish the job?"

"I'm going to finish the job," he replied, taking her chin in his hand. "Come on, you know you want me."

"I already told you what I think about you," she said. "Get away from me."

"I don't think so," he replied. "You want me so bad, you can't wait to jump me."

"And if I do not?" she asked, "Are you going to defile me?"

He laughed. "Nah, I'm above  _that_. I'm waiting for you to make your move."

"You foul, hideous—" In the end, he got what he wanted. She reached out, grabbed him and smashed her lips against his. He smirked for a moment and returned her action. But she broke the kiss and punched him on his left cheek.

He held his cheek and wiped away the green blood that was trickling from his lip. "I'm impressed," he said. "You've got a good punch… for a woman."

"If you were of no use to Commander Ragnar, I would kill you right here and now," she spat. "And why should I not punch you on the other cheek for your comment?"

"You won't," Phaedos replied. "You Elves are all talk, anyhow. All that high and mighty bullshit about how you're better than everyone? It's a lie." She punched him again and stormed off while he held his left cheek. "What a woman."

:-:-:-: PRGPX :-:-:-:

Wisconsin had split down the political middle. Act 10, the new budget bill with provisions to curb the collective bargaining power of the state's public unions, had angered the liberals and labor movement. The state itself was the first to provide collective bargaining rights to public sector unions. Now a bill threatened to end that. In the author's view, it is rather silly to punish the average worker for a crisis caused by a few people who mishandled other people's money on Wall Street.

That being said, I will not go on a long tangent, but I had to get it out of my system.

Either way, labor movement supporters had descended on the city of Madison to protest the bill. Walker may have ran on the idea, but in their mind, that did not make it right.

The protests had begun on Valentine's Day. It was now February 15. Tens of thousands of people had descended upon the still under-repair State Capitol.

And yet, none of the Rangers were there… yet. Instead, Maria was watching news coverage on TV, itching to be there. She wanted to chant along with the protestors. " _KILL THE BILL!_ " she heard them chanting... At least that's what it sounded like on the TV.

Oh, how she wanted to be there, protesting the right wing menace. Unfortunately, she had her laptop in her lap and working on a paper she had due for a class that was due tomorrow that she'd neglected because of Ranger duties. Oh, she'll be there once the paper is done.

Until then, she had to support them from afar.

"What is happening?" Eruvanda asked when she walked into the room.

"Scott Walker is being a worse dictator than Hugo Chavez," said Maria.

"Your hyperbole and bias are obvious," said Eruvanda.

"Of course!"

"Regardless, I can already tell this incident will only stir up over-the-top emotional responses," said Eruvanda. "Is it like this all the time amongst humans?"

"Of course," said Maria. "We bitch and moan all the time about how bad our leaders are. Much of the time, we're right, the leaders  _are_  doing the wrong thing. Other times, they're just complaining for no reason."

"I never once saw a protest as large as this in Alfheim," said Eruvanda. "And I suppose this is inspired by what is occurring in the Middle East."

"No doubt," said Maria.

"But if it seems so difficult, why would anyone want to live in a Democracy?" Eruvanda asked.

"Nobody said democracy was easy," Maria replied, "I believe it was Winston Churchill who said that 'Democracy is the worst form of government, except for all those other forms that have been tried from time to time.'"

"He sounds rather bitter," said Eruvanda.

"Well, he did lose an election, so I guess he was," said Maria.

The door opened and there was a clatter in the foyer. Sean and Daisuke were arguing loudly about the merits and non-merits of unions. Sean was arguing that unions make it easier for the little guy to have their say to the powers-that-be. Daisuke argued that unions make the country less competitive.

Of course, knowing these two, their argument quickly began to get out of hand. "You are foolish," said Daisuke. "How can you make such arguments when it is clear you have no clue what you are talking about?"

"Oh, fuck you!" Sean replied.

"Oh, dear God!" Eruvanda muttered.

"That's enough, you two!" Rob said, trying to be the peacemaker. He pushed Sean away from Daisuke while the former was shouting at how out-of-touch Daisuke was with the realities of Middle-Class America.

"Are they like that all the time?" Eruvanda asked, "Their arguments aside, do they really hate each other that much?"

"You should have seen them in Japan," said Maria, "They punched each other."

"In that case," Lizzie stormed over to them and physically separated the two of them.

"Oh come on, it was just getting good!" said Ritchie.

"ENOUGH!" she shouted in a firm, authoritative and truly queenly voice. "The validity of your arguments aside, this has turned into a childish fight best suited for a Fox News segment."

"Stay out of this, Liz!" Sean snapped. "You don't know anything—" Eruvanda quickly turned to Sean and gave him a Look that sent a chill down his spine and made him stop. She did the same to Daisuke. Arquen, who had come with the crowd that gathered, smiled and nodded.

"You are right," she said, "I am naïve when it comes to human affairs. But I am still learning. But I have not tolerance for juvenile bickering. How old are you, 22? Cease acting like a child, the both of you!"

"She's as good as Bridge," said Rob.

"How will you both respond when you are arguing the next time a monster appears?" She felt Sean freeze in her grip. All of them looked away from each other awkwardly, even Aaron and Kevin. Eruvanda was confused until sea heard Rob say,

"Oh, no."

"What is it, Robert?" she asked.

"I know that look," he replied. "It's the look of a serviceman who's realized he's killed someone for the first time."

"Oh, dear God," Eruvanda breathed.

"Must've started with that frog monster, right?" asked Rob.

"Maybe," said Sean. "I mean—we never thought about it until then, but now—oh jeez, the TV show never went over this!"

"It's not something you guys can prepare for," said Rob. "First time I was in Iraq, when I was maybe 19 or 20, we were in a convoy on a regular patrol in Baghdad. We were heading back to base just before nightfall when an IED exploded and broke the rear axle of our lead Humvee.

"Next thing we knew, a bunch of insurgents started firing at us. I shot a few times, but I don't think I hit anybody. I think it may have been a few minutes when the insurgents started to fall back. Didn't mean they were done, though.

"Suddenly, my CO got hit in the right leg. I got called over to protect him. Suddenly, I see an insurgent coming out of a house. He points the gun at our medic and I don't have a choice in the matter. I raise my rifle, point it at the guy and let out a three-round burst— _POPPOPPOP_.

"His head jerks back and he falls to the ground like a sack of bricks. Nothing like the movies at all. Street fell quiet. I don't know what happened, but I felt myself drawn to this guy. I stand over him and get a good look. He didn't look much older than me at the time. There was a clear wound through his head and two in his chest—instant KIA. I didn't think about it at the time, but I was pretty shaken.

"That night, I had a nightmare about the incident. Even to this day, I see him in my nightmares from time to time."

"And I thought soldiers were murderers," said Maria.

"It's easy to assume, but for guys like me, we'll never be able to get used to killing," said Rob. "I've got PTSD, for cryin' out loud. And my worst flashbacks have nothing to do with my buddies getting killed. It's all the guys  _I've_  killed."

"Thank you, Robert, for your anecdote," said Eruvanda, "Given that it fits their mental situation, I hope it can be of some help."

" _Some_ ," said Sean.

"Sean, you guys are  _not murderers_ ," said Rob. "If there's anyone here who can be a murderer, it's me."

"They call them monsters," said Sean, "But even with Poley, they may be living creatures, I—"

"Sean, calm down!" Rob said, grabbing his brother-in-law's shoulders. "Jesus Christ, I don't blame you for your regret, but you can't let this get to you!"

"Easy for you to say!" said Maria.

"I wish!" Rob replied. "You have any idea how much sleep Bridge and I have lost? I'm still amazed I've been able to do not just Ranger but police duty! At least the Madison PD can pay for my therapy!"

"It would probably be easier for us if we had to fight robots instead," said Kevin. That gave Arquen an idea and he slipped away from the group for a moment.

"Sean, if you're worried you're a murderer, get a fucking hold of yourself," Rob continued, "Listen to me:  _You are not a murderer_. You've done nothing but protect this entire world for what? A year?" Sean nodded. "Are you a killer? That depends. And I know what you're going through, I get it. But none of you are monsters!"

"And unlike you, we were never trained for this!" said Sean.

"Yeah, but it still affects me!" Rob replied. "How many times do I have to pound that into your head!?"

"Sorry," said Sean.

"I get it, you're not used to it," said Rob. "If it would make it any easier, I would tell you anything. But it won't. But you can still talk to me if you need it."

"I get what you're trying to do," said Sean. "Thanks a lot. I'm just—really stressed! The hockey thing, the Rangers, the schoolwork, switching my major to journalism—"

"Take it easy!" said Rob. "By the way, why did you switch to journalism?"

"So if the hockey thing doesn't work out, at least I'll have a better chance at a job," said Sean.

"Right, right," said Rob.

"Sean," Eruvanda interrupted, taking his hands in hers. Maria did not get jealous, as she knew what Eruvanda was about to say. "I may have been here for only a short time, but in my time here, I have seen nothing that would tell me that you are a monster. You might be short-tempered, foul-mouthed and arrogant… 'jerk', for lack of a better term sometimes, but you are the bravest, most determined, dedicated, extraordinary person I have ever seen. And that goes for all of you! You are all extraordinary humans! If my people only saw what wonderful people you were, they would cease this ridiculous campaign!"

"If only," Kevin said under his breath.

In this heated exchange, they never noticed the TV was still on. But Daisuke noticed something and pointed at the TV. A monster was attacking downtown, near the protestors.

Instincts kicked in. Instead of questioning things, they grabbed their coats and darted out of the house.

"I need to get back to action," Aaron said under his breath. But he was ignored by Eruvanda and Arquen.

"Are you alright?" he asked her.

"Of course," she replied, "I was just thinking how difficult it must be to be in their position."

"Just don't pity us," Aaron interrupted.

Eruvanda held back a laugh and shook her head. "Far from it," she said, "One does not need to pity someone to feel bad for them. If anything, I almost envy you."

:-:-:-: Power Rangers GPX :-:-:-:

The monster was attacking around the intersection of N Fairchild Street and W Washington Avenue. Near the protestors, but not directly attacking them. However, the monster and Suitroops were advancing directly towards them, and quickly.

The Rangers had to go around them in order to stop them. They charged down W Washington and met the small contingent of Suitroops. The Suitroops were easy to deal with—they were robots with no consciousness.

Sean tore through the Suitroops. His fists and legs flew around, striking and destroying the Suitroops with a fury that must have come from his frustration over the past several days and the whole topic of this chapter. Any Suitroop that got in his way was pulverized by said fists and legs. They almost got a little nervous, but they obeyed their programming, only to be beaten by Sean.

Partnering with Rob, Kevin was less ferocious than Sean, but still intense. The military duo were precise and articulate, if you want to put it that way. They fought literally back-to-back while sweeping Suitroops off their feet and pounding them into the pavement. Rob grabbed a Suitroop and tossed it over to Kevin, who wound up his fist and smashed the robot's face in, then Kevin did the same for Rob.

Along the same vein, Maria and Hitomi partnered up as well. Maria flipped Hitomi into the air and she came down and flattened the Suitroops. Maria came in to finish the job, punching and kicking at them into submission. There was no hesitation from these two, either. They both out-maneuvered the Suitroops, their smaller frames making it easy to do so against the heavier Suitroops.

As for Ritchie and Daisuke, it was a little more… awkward. Daisuke's body language indicated he wasn't thrilled about having to fight alongside the Oneida Rocket, but that didn't stop Ritchie. He kicked a Suitroop and shoved it over to Daisuke. Daisuke wound up his fist and punched the Suitroop. He seemed to sigh, but he kicked a Suitroop that had snuck up behind Ritchie.

Sean had finished tearing the head off a Suitroop when he turned his attention to the monster. He pressed his belt buckle to summon the GT Sword. No one could see it under his helmet, but determination blazed in his eyes.

… But so did uncertainty.

The other Rangers finished off their Suitroop assignments and turned to the monster.

"Do you honestly think you can kill me?" the monster taunted, "After you could barely kill the other one?"

The Rangers flinched. It was enough for the monster as it charged forward and whacked the Rangers one after the other. The monster kicked Ritchie in the head to keep him down. Kevin got back up and punched the monster's snout, catching it off guard. He tried to follow it up with a kick, but the monster caught his leg. Kevin countered by vaulting off the monster's chest and ducked under the monster's swipe and tackled it.

The monster knew they were hesitant, he could see it in their body language. They were ferocious against the Suitroops, but they seemed sluggish and unwilling here. "You cannot kill me? Weaklings."

The unwillingness to kill is not weakness, however. It takes a lot of strength to hold back when you're close to letting loose and killing someone. It's just… well, Ragnar.

The monster grabbed Sean by the shoulder strap and held him up in the air. "I know you want to kill me, Red," said the monster, "Let loose! Kill me now!"

"How?"

"Oh, right," the monster tossed Sean into one of the buildings. Dust and debris flew everywhere even when Sean fell out of the façade.

"Ow."

The monster laughed evilly. That is, until it saw Rob. There was only one Ranger not backing down. He held out his Silver Saber and pointed it at the monster as if to challenge it. "Let's dance," said the monster.

Rob lunged forward and took several big cuts out of the monster. He spun on one of his feet and kicked the monster on the side of the head and finished this off by punching it in the snout.

The infuriated monster growled and stomped its feet into the pavement. "I can confront them over their murderous ways, but not you. Why is that?"

"It's complicated," Rob replied.

The monster was in no mood to argue with Rob. It simply punched Rob in the helmet, knocking him backwards.

Hitomi had gotten up; she was so frustrated she was in no mood to take any crap from the monster. She threw a punch, ducked under a counter, jumped to avoid a kick and punched the monster in the face. The monster grabbed her by the strap and tossed her aside.

Kevin got back up and tried to surprise the monster, but it grabbed Kevin and slammed him to the pavement. Kevin did get in a kick to the monster's head. But the monster stomped on his chest in anger. "Cease your hesitations and kill me!" the monster taunted.

"This cannot be happening," Kevin lamented.

"Oh, but it  _is_ ," the monster said while taking a sadistic glee in rubbing the Rangers' internal conflict in their faces. "And yet, you fell apart so easily and quietly!"

"Bullshit!" The monster did not see Rob's fist come out of its peripheral. It stumbled backwards as Maria got on her knees and it tripped backwards over her.

Sean raised his leg up and stomped on the monster. He grit his teeth in anger and drove his heel into the monster's chest. The monster grabbed his leg and ripped it out from under him. The monster lifted Sean up and tossed him to the pavement. "I commend you, Red Rang—"

Daisuke tackled the monster into a tree trunk. He wrestled with the monster for a couple seconds but the monster got back up. Daisuke let go of the monster and threw a punch. The monster countered, Daisuke dodged the punch and kneed the monster in the side. It stumbled in pain, stopping when Ritchie punched it in its face.

The monster kicked at Ritchie. He jumped out of the way and ran back up to the monster, kicking it in the face. The monster punched Ritchie in the chest. He stumbled backwards and was caught by Maria. Rob rushed the monster and slammed into it. It stumbled but pushed back against Rob, grabbing his waist. Maria pushed Ritchie into the monster and he brought it down to the pavement.

"You have recovered," the monster breathed, "I am impressed!"

The Rangers didn't respond to the monster. Sean grabbed the GT Sword, raised it at the monster. Before the monster could get in a defensive position, Sean took a big swipe of the monster. It howled in agony. Kevin stopped it and punched it hard in the snout. Daisuke kicked it in the same spot. Maria kicked it in the back. Hitomi kicked it in the chest. Rob slashed it and Ritchie elbowed it in the snout.

The monster was  _not_  happy… well, kinda. They were doing what it wanted, but he did not take into account how much it would physically hurt. The Rangers pushed him down S Fairchild Street, and thus away from the protestors. They cut off the monster's route to the north and to the south.

"You got nowhere to run!" said Sean. "Leave, now!"

"You'll have to kill me," said the monster.

Sean did not respond. He wasn't going to give the monster the satisfaction. "Surrender or leave," he said again.

The monster laughed derisively. "You are more foolish than I thought," said the monster. "You know how it works in your television show. The monster must be destroyed. You are all cold-blooded killers; unfeeling towards your victims and only focused on the task at hand."

"Wrong, wrong, wrong, right," said Sean. "Now then, shall we threaten you? Supercharge!" They jammed their keys into their weapons and gave them a turn. They pointed their weapons at them to show they weren't kidding around. "Leave," said Sean.

The monster looked around itself. Seven weapons were pointed at him. All seven as a united, could do the trick. He just needed one to prove his point. They wouldn't dare try to kill him. Would they?

The monster was admittedly unsure about the situation. He must have painted them into a corner and they would prove him wrong. But there was only one way to find out.

The monster lunged at Ritchie. Ritchie didn't fire, instead falling backwards. The monster turned down W Washington Avenue.

Right in the direction of the protestors.

The Rangers desperately turned back onto W Washington. "FIRE!" Sean screamed. They let off a round of fire and Sean slashed at the monster. All of them hit their mark and the monster screamed in agony.

But it was still not going down. Instead it turned to the Rangers and gave them a spine-chilling smile. "Nightfall is coming for you… murderers." The monster fell to the ground and exploded.

:-:-:-: PRGPX :-:-:-:

They looked so guilt-ridden when they returned. Eruvanda watched them with a sympathetic expression while they removed their jackets and boots. They did not deserve this guilt and pressure that had been forced upon them. But there they were. She closed her eyes and shook her head, but not in disappointment at them—disappointment  _for_ them.

Sean walked past her and she stopped him. "What happened?" she asked.

"We had to destroy him," said Sean.

Eruvanda and Arquen sighed. "I am so sorry," Eruvanda said. "You do not deserve this."

"Save your pity," Sean replied.

"There is not pity," Eruvanda replied. "All I offer is sympathy. You only pity yourself in self-loathing."

Sean scoffed, but Eruvanda kept him in place. "I know what you want to do," she said, "Let it out."

As if on cue, Maria hurried forward and gave Sean a tight hug. He returned it. Eruvanda smiled, glad to see them keeping their wits about themselves. But her thoughts turned elsewhere.

To Ragnar.

Not out of obsession, but anger. If it was his plan to prove what they were, then he was viler than she had initially thought. But she knew that he would not care.

But in the end, the Rangers were only human.

:-:-:-: Power Rangers GPX :-:-:-:

Túrelie was not one for self-loathing. But as she lay in bed facing away from Phaedos, she could only feel such this feeling. She had lost all control over herself and slept with the vile Zordonian. Her hand clenched the bedsheet as she looked over herself. She hated how she cried out in ecstasy while Phaedos seduced her; how she willingly gave herself to the Zordonian, and how she _enjoyed it_.

She sat up. Her hand kept the sheets at her chest to cover her body but she did not leave her bed. She was already so angry at herself whatever will to leave was gone. Of course, this was also _her_ room and bed. She had nowhere else to go.

But she felt trapped, either way.

"What have I done?" she said so quietly she almost mouthed it. She turned back to Phaedos's sleeping form. He was facing her, a contented smile on his face and his sheets covering much of his own bare form.

She shuddered. In this state, he actually peaceful… and attractive. She hissed at the thought. She'd already embarrassed herself for sleeping with him, why must she make it worse?

Her shuddering and hissing apparently woke him up. He raised his head and smiled. "What? You couldn't handle me?"

"Bite your tongue!" Túrelie snapped and hissed.

"Come on, you enjoyed it," Phaedos replied. "You came to me  _begging_ for it."

"Which is why I hate myself," she replied. "I hate that I gave myself so willingly to you."

"Who cares?" Phaedos asked, taking her chin in his hand and turning her head towards him. He crushed his lips against hers, and she returned his forceful kiss. He retracted and pushed her back into the bed. "What's it gonna be, Túrelie?"

Túrelie could not help herself. She was aroused. And this only made her self-loathing even worse. But in her mind, she felt she could go now lower than she'd already gone. "Fuck me! Fuck me now, you vile Zordonian! Make me scream loud enough to wake the dead! Be rough with me, I do not care anymore!"

Phaedos laughed and flashed his smug smirk at her. "Gladly," he said.

:-:-:-: PRGPX :-:-:-:

Rob VO: "Next time on  _Power Rangers GPX Supercharged_!"

Maelstrom: "I don't care!"

Col. Greene: "Maybe you should."

Sean: "Oh my god!"

Túrelie: "I feel so…"

Eruvanda: "They are trying."

Ragnar: "We are closer."

Sean: "To hell with this!"

Rob VO: "That's next time on  _Power Rangers GPX Supercharged_!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, how was that? I know it's been a while, but at least it wasn't as long as the last chapter.
> 
> Couple things I need to say. First off, yes, I did have to include this whole "are Power Rangers killers" thing. Why? Because we see the Rangers killing the monsters in the show and you don't think about it when you're a kid, but when you're older, there's definitely that little… issue. Also, I had the Greninja dying a couple chapters ago and you know, I couldn't just let it go that easily. I had to address it, which is why it's taken up 3 (soon to be 4) chapters. It won't go on much longer, so don't worry. I still have the rest of the plot to get to.
> 
> Second reason is because of a show on Toonami. They had Sword Art Online on it. I HATED that show. It's the worst anime I've seen in years. It's an otaku-pandering mess with so many flaws and plot holes it drove me half insane while watching it. And because of that, it got me thinking. Since I don't want to pander, I needed to make the audience consider the tough questions. That included this whole thing. By the way, I'm not gonna express why I hate it here. Just PM me asking why and I'll reply with a 10,000 word screed about how shitty it was.
> 
> And by the way, I shall swear an oath. I will not pander to ANYONE in this story. Instead, I'll give my damndest to give you the best fucking work I can give you. I can't guarantee it will be the greatest, but mark my words: I will put my all into this. I will treat you as intelligent and I will make sure that I don't lower myself to the standards of the lowest common denominator.
> 
> And by the way; no, Phaedos did not rape Túrelie. It's not abusive, either. It was just good-old fashioned consensual hatesex. Túrelie's just not happy about it.
> 
> And give this one a review, too!


	8. Tiris's Plan

Ritchie VO: "Last time on  _Power Rangers GPX Supercharged_!"

Ingvar: "They cannot harm a living being!"

Phaedos: "You've got a good punch… for a woman."

Túrelie: "If you were of no use to Commander Ragnar, I would kill you right here and now,"

Eruvanda: "What is it, Robert?"

Rob: "You guys are  _not murderers_."

Eruvanda: "If my people only saw what wonderful people you were, they would cease this ridiculous campaign!"

Monster: "Let loose! Kill me now!"

Sean: ""Surrender or leave."

[ _The monster does not. Instead it tries to attack the pro-union protestors, but the Rangers kill him. They return home devastated and confused about what to do next_.]

Power Rangers GPX Supercharged, episode 31: Tiris's Plan

:-:-:-: We're the best chance for humanity, Power Rangers G-P-X, let's go! :-:-:-:

"I should have seen this coming," said Col. Greene.

"Seen what?" asked Maelstrom.

"This," Col. Greene replied. His office in the Pentagon was quiet, save for some chatter outside in the corridors and the ticking Grandfather clock. Col. Greene tapped his temple while considering the situation. "They're not soldiers—except for Silver, of course, but he's a Marine. Still, we should have known they'd react this way."

"When they found out about the monsters?" asked Maelstrom, "It should have been obvious to them in the first place. What did they think they were doing, sending them to another dimension?"

"It's a kids' show," said Col. Greene, "I seriously doubt they were even thinking about that."

"They should have," said Maelstrom. "The Red Ranger was going around threatening to kill those monster back in Tokyo, was he not?"

Col. Greene sighed after the Samuel L. Jackson look-alike finished. "It's easier to threaten to kill someone than to actually do it. Regardless, I should have warned them."

"Now you start acting like they're your kids," said Maelstrom, "You should have thought of that when you transferred command to us."

"And now I'm regretting it," said Col. Greebe, "Who knows what you're hiding from them?"

"Don't start with that," said Maelstrom, "We did what we had to do."

"I suppose I should be grateful you didn't make the same mistakes the CIA, FBI and NSA made. I honestly keep wondering when the NSA story's going to break, if what you're saying is true."

"Alan, the fact of the matter is, they should know what they're getting into," Maelstrom continued, "If you're going to shield them like an overprotective parent, then perhaps you shouldn't be allowed anywhere near them."

"Don't forget it was me who brought them together," said Col. Greene, "And I was the one who made this Project into what it is. You're goddamn right I'm protective of them. And I care deeply about their mental well-being."

"And I don't care!" said Maelstrom.

"Then maybe you should, Tom," Col. Greene replied. "What are they to you? Nameless agents? You won't even go to Madison!"

"They have more than capable support," said Maelstrom.

"Apparently not enough."

"Are you dismissing my organization?" asked Maelstrom.

"Your organization has prevented more wars than I can count," said Col. Greene, "I just don't think you're right for this one."

Maelstrom folded his arms and indignantly leaned forward and gave Col. Greene an equally indignant glare with his one good eye. "Are you fooling yourself?" he asked, "You actually think you can beat those Elves with a military force and indirectly declaring war? It may have worked with the Zordonians, but this is different. You can't use soldiers anymore, Alan. In fact, while the US Army was dicking around in Iraq, we'd already found Osama Bin Laden."

"And the military's going to take him out," said Col. Greene. "At some point, they're going to learn that you lied to them about the Project and the toll it took."

"Wasn't that your project?" asked Maelstrom,

"It was your organization that interfered and caused the mess in the first place," said Col. Greene, "It's amazing how the UN didn't shut us down."

"And look what it gave you."

Col. Greene paused. He wanted to respond, but he couldn't. Either way, there was something he could say. "I just feel for the people who suffered because of what you used."

"And there are enough Trainees on that campus to create two more Ranger teams if need be."

"And there are seven who are paying the price already," said Col. Greene, "And we suspect there might be one who suffered because of your interference."

Maelstrom sighed and stood. He turned to depart, but he looked back to Col. Greene for a moment. "If you think you can re-take command of Project Ranger, you're more naïve than when we were at West Point."

"And your cynicism has gotten worse."

Maelstrom scoffed, shook his head and left. Col. Greene sat back in his chair and thought about what he was going to do next.

:-:-:-: PRGPX :-:-:-:

"Adam Park is dead."

"Oh my God!" Sean shouted. Tommy Oliver's hologram cast his eyes downward after delivering that news. "What happened!?"

"Your other selves got into a fight with a tough enemy," said Tommy, "And he came to help. He died after helping to kill that enemy."

" _Ay dios mio,_ " Maria breathed. "How exactly did he die?"

"He died fighting trying to save Aaron," said Tommy. Aaron, who was also in the room, hung his head, making a silent vow to get better before the end of the semester. "You want me to go into the grisly details? Or do you want me to say that he died the way a Ranger should go out?"

"I don't need the details," said Sean. "Heck, I'm just glad that universe's Bridge is okay."

"I guarantee you that if she was killed, your conflict would be over," said Tommy.

"One guess why," said Sean.

"So what have you guys been worried about?" he asked.

The group looked at each other nervously and with apprehension. Tommy's hologram could see the hesitation in their faces easily. "Something's going on," he said. "What is it?"

"Are we killing the monsters?" Hitomi piped up.

Tommy's hologram released a loud and long sigh. He shook his head and said, "Are you really getting worked up for this?" he asked.

"My brother-in-law said it's not something you get used to," said Sean. "And he's a Marine."

"Oh," said Tommy, "I guess things are different over there. What about Santa's Little Helpers?"

"They're exploiting it," said Aaron, "The last monster taunted them and tried to get them to kill him."

"Jeez, I'm glad Rita didn't do this to me," said Tommy. "Look, all I'm going to say is this: Try to find a way to keep fighting. I know there's a lot of pressure and things going on—"

"Ragnar's real good at using Bin Laden rhetoric," said Sean, "These Teabaggers are proving him right. You can't expect to take away Union rights and not get a backlash, for one thing."

"Please stay on topic," said Tommy. "Maybe if you can separate your distaste for the people he's criticizing and just focus on his genocidal plans, you won't have to worry about that."

The Rangers all glanced around at each other and came to an agreement. "That sounds good," said Sean, "Ideology doesn't have to enter into this, after all. Hell, I have to work with a racist, here."

"I shall pretend I did not hear that," said Daisuke.

"Good," said Tommy, "And please—stay safe out there. By the way Sean, how are the Cubs going to do this year?"

"For fuck's sake,  _again_?" He groaned. "I'm a White Sox fan! Why the hell do people keep thinking that all Chicagoans are Cub fans?"

"I'm just teasing!" Tommy laughed, "Just to lighten the mood."

"Yeah, real funny," said Sean. "Oh, and about the Santa's Little Helpers who are here: They're planning a coup to take back the throne of Alfheim."

"Is that so?" asked Tommy, "And after that?"

"They'll declare this stupid anti-human operation over," said Ritchie, "They told us that the Monarch has the final say in military affairs. She was the one who authorized this stupid campaign against us, and she can end it."

"Oh," said Tommy, "Good point."

"Is that enough of an update?" asked Sean. "Or do you want me to reveal that the hockey team might not even make the NCAA tournament, despite the fact that we have one of the best forward lines in the country?"

"No, it's enough," said Tommy. "Sorry about the team, though."

"Ah, for cryin' out loud," said Sean.

"Why? It's not even that important!" said Tommy.

" _It is to us!_ " Sean and Ritchie shouted in unison.

"In the long run, it isn't," said Tommy. "By the way, you guys probably have a new Power Ranger season coming up, right?"

"Yep," said Sean. "The Blue Ranger's name is Kevin!" The GPX Kevin held in a snort.

"So is ours!" said Tommy, "Did they—"

"Let's not get into that," said Sean.

"Okay, okay," said Tommy, "I have to go. Please, get over this, okay?"

"They  _are_   _trying_ ," said Eruvanda, "It is not easy for them to deal with the pressure."

"When did she get in?" asked Tommy.

"I was listening outside the whole time," she replied. "And before you ask, I have been around them longer than you have, and I feel as if I understand them better than you ever will." The others all looked around at each other in surprise. Did she really just say that!?

"I have to go," said Tommy. "I'll catch you later." His hologram disappeared. The Rangers turned to the Elf-queen as she stood in the doorway.

"I need to get to practice," said Sean. "By the way, Shevchenko hasn't come to class lately. Kevin, has he come to class?"

"Yes," Kevin replied.

"Has he said anything?" asked Ritchie.

Kevin shook his head. "No." Sean looked at Ritchie and shrugged. Ritchie sighed, rubbing the back of his neck at the same time.

"I guess we shouldn't focus on it right now," said Ritchie.

"And Liz," Sean turned to the Elf-Queen, "Why did you have to say that to Tommy?"

"Because I feel he does not know you as well as I do," said Eruvanda.

"Technically, he's known us longer than you have," said Sean, "He helped us beat Phaedos the first time, and he's been a big help over the past year."

Eruvanda stayed still for the moment. When it was over, she sighed. "Very well," she said, "But I stand by my defense."

Sean sighed and walked out of the door with Ritchie following. Both of them had to leave for practice right now.

:-:-:-: Power Rangers GPX :-:-:-:

Eärello sighed and rolled his head while listening to Ragnar deliver some boring report about the campaign against the Power Rangers. He slouched in his chair while Ragnar talked on and on about nothing at all. Field Marshall Ingvar, along with the generals Phaedos, Tirna and Túrelie and Colonel Tiris.

But Túrelie glared at her so-called "King". To her, the only reason Ragnar propped him up was because he was easy to manipulate. "We are closer to the completion of our campaign," said Ragnar, "But we still need more time to complete it, Your Majesty."

"Yes, yes, whatever you want," said Eärello. His tone made Túrelie clench her fist and jaw. Not even the lustful looks of Phaedos could distract her… although that was the other reason she was glaring at her King. "By the way, what is this nonsense that Tiris is suggesting?"

Túrelie was confused. Yes, Tiris was in the meeting room with them, but he had not said anything yet. "Tiris, what do you have to say?" asked Ragnar.

"I do not think that using monsters to fight the Rangers is sustainable," he said.

"Nonsense!" Ingvar snapped, "The Rangers are reluctant to fight monsters! What are you suggesting?"

"Robots," said Tiris. Eärello and Ingvar stifled their laughter, but Ragnar stayed silent, narrowing his eyes at Tiris. "I believe the Zordonians had a measure of success using a robot known as Gargotron against them."

"Gargotron was still defeated," said Tirna.

"Ei,"ther way, it made life difficult for them," said Tiris.

"Nonsense!" Ingvar snapped, "Our strategy is working, they are reluctant to fight! Why should we stop now?"

"As I just explained," Tiris replied, "And to be honest, I am uncomfortable hiring these monsters only to render an instant death sentence by sending them to fight the Rangers."

"What nonsense is this?" Eärello asked, "Who cares about this monsters anyway? The more monsters, the merrier!"

Túrelie could see Tiris clench his fist while holding his rage back. "Ragnar, who is he?" Eärello continued, "Why must you have some feely-sensitive fool in your military?"

Tiris was seething in anger. "I will have you know,  _Your Majesty_ , that I am a graduate of the Alfheim Military Academy," he said, "With honors."

"And a fine job they did with you!" Eärello laughed. Tiris narrowed his eyes at the King. The King stood and drew his sword and pointed it at Tiris. "Come now, let us see what you have!" he said.

Tiris sighed and stood. In a quick motion, he drew his sword and swung it at Eärello. The King stumbled and fell backwards while Tiris walked over to him, holding the tip of his blade to the King's chin. "Y-you would not  _DARE_  harm your King!" Eärello whimpered.

"Of course not," said Tiris. "I am not pathetic, after all." The smile and the way he sheathed his sword amazed Túrelie. Did he just—

"My apologies," said Tiris, "I have acted out and I accept whatever punishment comes my way."

"That will not be necessary," said Ragnar.

"WHAT!?" Eärello screamed, "HOW COULD YOU—"

"That will not be necessary," said Ragnar, "Because I am interested in Tiris's plan. After all, robots have caused the Rangers difficulty in the past." He looked over at Ingvar and the Field Marshall nodded.

"Understood," said Ingvar, "Find us a robot to send to Madison." Túrelie glanced over at Tiris to see the subtlest of sighs escape his lips.

"This meeting is adjourned," said Ragnar. The staff got up and left. But Ragnar summoned Ingvar over to him.

"To humor him, Sir?"

"I have my suspicions," said Ragnar.

"Tiris!" Túrelie called out as she left the meeting room.

"Yes, General Túrelie?" asked Tiris, saluting.

"What were you doing?" she asked.

"I was making a suggestion," said Tiris. "And why are you so nervous lately?"

"Because I feel so…" she turned and looked at Phaedos, who was still smirking at her. "I cannot discuss it."

:-:-:-: PRGPX :-:-:-:

Sean and Ritchie had already gotten back, but instead of sticking around at the house, the Rangers had gone out to the Nitty Gritty for dinner. It felt nice, getting some time off before Sean and Ritchie had a  _MASSIVE_ home game against the Minnesota Golden Gophers, the Badgers' arch-rival and the top team in NCAA Division 1 hockey. Oh, and the stresses of being Power Rangers.

But the two wingers were too busy discussing game strategy they had tuned out the din of the restaurant. Not even Eruvanda eating some ice cream with a girlish glee that Arquen could only watch with doe-eyed fascination could make them turn away.

"No, if Jimmy dumps the puck in before you get there, you have to chase it," said Sean, "You have the speed, you can catch it. They don't, they're more physical."

"But they also have speed," said Ritchie.

"But you're faster than them," said Sean. Ritchie nodded in agreement.

"Oh yeah," he laughed.

Outside, Floki materialized, hoodie and all, walking down the street, unable to contain the mad smile on his lips. He stopped, looked around and brought his fingers to his lips and blew loudly.

Explosions ripped into a couple buildings, which were close to the eastern edge of the UW campus.

Sean was chugging a Budweiser when the explosions happened. Everyone in the Nitty Gritty started screaming and clamoring while trying to get out. The Rangers, on the other hand, stayed calm. Kevin even handed his card to Arquen and Eruvanda before dragging Sean along. "Hey, I'm not done!" he whined without Kevin even bothering to listen.

To be clear, Floki was nowhere near the Nitty Gritty, but closer to State Street. There's no way they could tell exactly where the Rangers were.

But getting back to the story, Floki was getting impatient. The Rangers should be here by now! "Where are they, where are they, where are they, WHERE ARE THEY!?" he screamed.

The sounds of sirens and screeching tires caught his attention. He looked around, trying to figure out what it was. He turned to the monster with him and nodded. "They're coming," he said with a maniacal grin.

Indeed, they were. They stopped at the intersection of State and Lake, where they beheld what was awaiting them.

"Hello, Rangers!" Floki said, "Look what we've got!"

It was a robot. That was a given. It looked like a suit of armor akin to the one a certain anime character was trapped in; big, bulky and intimidating.

"Okay, whose idea was this?" Sean asked.

" _That is none of your concern_ ," a familiar voice echoed from the robot. " _Yes, this is Ragnar speaking to you. This robot has artificial intelligence, but is not as independent as I would like. Still, its lack of a voice allows me to taunt you from a distance._ "

"You coward!" Sean called, obviously trying to get a rise out of him. "Come here and fight like a man—ELF!"

" _I have no intention of doing that_ ," Ragnar's voice replied, " _But I will allow you to get down on your knees and pray to whatever god you worship_."

"That will not be necessary," said Kevin.

"Yeah, we'll just blow that thing up," said Sean. "Besides, I don't believe in god."

Ragnar's voice was silent for a moment, but there was stammering on the other end. " _WHAT_!?" he shouted, " _I knew none of you worshipped the same God I did, but you are led by a godless heathen_!?"

"That's  _MISTER_ Godless Heathen to you!" Sean replied, flipping him off.

" _Those who deny God must be punished_!" Ragnar spouted, getting a laugh from other Rangers, " _Now I KNOW my mission is just in the eyes of God_!" The robot's arm lifted up and a missile popped out from it.

"Oh, fuck!" Sean breathed.

The robot launched its missile at them. The Rangers dove to avoid it and it exploded, throwing snow and debris everywhere.

In the confusion, Floki ran over to Sean, grabbed him by the collar and sucker punched him. He threw another punch, but Sean caught it easily. "Are you seriously still trying?" Sean asked before punching Floki so hard he flew across the intersection, colliding with the robot and knocking it down. "Jeez, he still sucks at fighting," said Sean. "Surround the robot!"

" _GOT IT!_ "

Floki had already gotten off the robot when the Rangers surrounded it. It took a while to get up, so Ritchie made the first move. He ran in and threw a hard punch to the robot's chin… or whatever the equivalent was.

The robot threw a punch at Ritchie. Ritchie blocked the punch. The robot got its leg in between his legs and sweep-kicked him off his feet. Ritchie's head hit the pavement right as Kevin moved in to punch the Robot. The robot grabbed Kevin, pulling him closer and kneeing him in the gut. The robot suddenly fell over. Ritchie had tackled the robot at the legs.

The other Rangers rushed in to attack the robot. The robot held them all off, its movements quicker than the Rangers expected. "Now you see what my robot can do!" Ragnar's voice taunted, "Or at least this is just the beginning!"

The robot rushed over to Sean and grabbed his neck, the usual treatment the villains give to him. That's not to say the other Rangers were just sitting back and letting this happen. They tried and tried to pull the robot off of Sean, but it kept its grip firm. " _I am going to kill you first, Red Ranger_ ," said Ragnar, " _And thus Fëanor case his hand over the people and declared, 'those who deny God must be destroyed_ '."

Sean had enough and kicked the robot's chest hard. He wound up his fist and punched the robot hard. "Tell me something Ragnar," he said, "Is God willing to prevent evil, but not able?"

"No! NO! Do NOT start this,  _mi precioso_!" Maria shouted.

"Oh come on, babe!" Sean whined, "I've always wanted to use this, and now that this sudden revelation has come up, I can't res—" The robot punched Sean in the helmet.

That prompted the other Rangers to attack. However, Sean held out his hand, calling for them not to make any stupid mistakes. So instead, Kevin, being second-in-command, had a better idea. "Gold! Yellow! Hold him down!"

"GOT IT!" Ritchie and Maria replied.

They both rushed up to the robot and grabbed its arms. Sean smiled underneath his helmet, silently praising Kevin. He wound up his fist and punched the robot hard. The robot made Ritchie and Maria let go and threw punches at both of them. But with three Rangers surrounding it, one was going to hit it.

After punching at Sean, Maria ran up, jumped and kicked at the robot. The Catholic woman shouted something in Spanish and blessed herself before stomping the robot's head.

"My girlfriend believes in God, does that work for you?" asked Sean.

The robot lashed out at Sean, but Sean jumped out of the way. "Typical of a human whose school's mascot is a rodent!" said Ragnar's voice.

"It's a Mustelid, not a rodent!" Sean replied, "Badgers are related to weasels, otters, ferrets, stoats and—" the robot cut him off, firing a rocket at him.

"I care not for your biology lesson!" Ragnar's voice growled. But Ritchie summoned his Gold Axe and buried the head into the robot's back.

"Best part about Badgers?" Ritchie asked, "They're opportunistic carnivores!"

"And you don't fuck with them!" said Sean. He jumped down from the tree and tried to kick the robot.

Jimmy had heard the fighting going on and wanted to see a Power Ranger fight up close. Never mind this was extremely dangerous, he was going to see them. He'd gotten to State and lake when a flash of red rocketed towards him. He only had a split second, but he dove to the ground and covered his head while in a fetal position. The flash of red slammed into the building, throwing dust and debris about.

When Jimmy saw that it was save to look up, he did so and saw the Red Ranger stuck in the façade of the building. He got up and tried to pull him out of the hole in the building he was in. "Hey, Red, are you okay?" he asked.

The Red Ranger growled angrily. "Yeah, I'm fine," he said. "Ah, fuck this!" He sat up in the hole and growled at the robot, who was busy fighting the other Rangers. "That bastard," he growled. Jimmy's eyes widened in surprise. "HE'S GONNA PAY!"

The Red Ranger took off in a flash of red. But Jimmy stood by, watching it with shock evident in his expression. "No—no way," he said quietly, "It couldn't be…"

"JIMMY!" Rob grabbed Jimmy and pulled him out of the line of danger. "Get out of here, NOW!"

Adrenaline kicked in and Jimmy ran off while Rob, in full police gear, pointed his M14 at the robot. Shots rang out that distracted the robot. It turned to Rob and pointed a missile at him. But Maria flew in and kicked the robot's arm away from her potential brother-in-law.

Daisuke was next, ducking under the robot's arm and delivering a slash with his Mountain Katana—the sword's official name. The robot stumbled backwards, but threw a kick at Daisuke. He blocked it with his katana and sweep-kicked the robot off its legs.

Sean saw this opportunity and stomped his boot on the robot's head. "Now that I have your attention," he said, "So what made you send a robot after us, huh? I thought you'd want to make us feel guilty or something."

"I am willing to remove that factor if it means killing you," said Ragnar, "And given your history with robots—" the robot backhanded Sean onto the pavement.

Maria jumped onto the robot's back and wrapped her arms around it. She tried to slash at its neck, only for the robot to grab her daggers and toss her to the ground where Sean caught her before she touched the pavement.

Hitomi kicked the robot in the back. It almost fell on the couple, but Sean jumped out of the way and put her down. Hitomi threw another punch, but the robot caught her arm and punched her.

That prompted Daisuke to jump on top of the robot and raise his sword above it.

Bad move.

The robot moved around and threw Daisuke off itself. Daisuke landed flat on his back (but safely) without anyone trying to help. Kevin did help him off the ground, but kicked the robot. The robot turned and countered, throwing a punch at Kevin. He blocked the punch and countered simultaneously with Daisuke.

The robot kicked at the two, but Ritchie chopped the robot's leg. The robot reacted and punched Ritchie in the gut. Kevin and Daisuke tacked the robot.

The robot got back up and gestured to Floki. Floki, who hadn't done anything, teleported away. It was a good move, since he's mostly useless.

But now with Floki out of the way, the robot pointed its arms at the Rangers. Some missiles popped out of the arms. "DIE!" Ragnar's voice shouted. The robot launched its missiles at the Rangers. They jumped out of the way while the missiles hit their targets… if you want to call them that.

Sean dove out of the way and pulled out his Octane Blaster. He let off some shots and dove out of the way of another missile. The robot reached out and tried to grab him. He kicked the arm away and countered with a right hook.

The other Rangers started to attack. Maria stabbed the robot in the side where the ribs would be. Daisuke slashed at the robot while Kevin kicked at it. Ritchie and Hitomi ran up to the robot and Hitomi kicked the monster, Ritchie chopped at it.

The Rangers surrounded the robot again. It was over. And with the robot being essentially mindless and the only voice coming from Ragnar… there was no guilt.

"Oh, this is gonna be fun," Sean said, holding up his blaster. "So, how do you want to do this, Ragnar?"

"Winning one battle means nothing," said Ragnar. "Nightfall is—"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, SAVE IT!" Sean replied. The other Rangers gathered around him. "It didn't work the first time, it's not gonna work again. SUPERCHARGE!"

The Rangers pulled out their AcceleKeys and jammed them into their weapons. They pointed their weapons at the robot and waited for Sean's signal. "FIRE!"

They fired/slashed/threw their weapons at the robot, throwing sparks around. Sean raised his blaster at the robot and fired the kill shot. The robot threw sparks about and fell to the ground, exploding.

:-:-:-: Power Rangers GPX :-:-:-:

Ragnar sighed and removed the headset. Ingvar, who was watching the events from behind him, sighed and shook his head. "I do not like it," he said, "We had a good strategy."

"I care not for that," said Ragnar.

"And this was not our strongest robot," said Ingvar.

"It was the only one I could find on such short notice," Ragnar said, standing up. "Keep up the surveillance on Tiris."

"Yes, sir," said Ingvar.

Ragnar turned and left the control room. Túrelie, who was walking by, stopped and saluted him. After he returned the salute, she stammered to try and speak. "What is it, Túrelie?" he asked.

"It is about Phaedos," she said.

"What about Phaedos?" he replied.

Túrelie opened her mouth. But no words came out. Fear and uncertainty had gripped her so tightly she did not think of any words. "If you have nothing to say, then neither do I," said Ragnar. He turned and walked away. Ingvar passed by and she saluted him, but disappointment was evident on her expression.

:-:-:-: PRGPX :-:-:-:

"He sent a robot?" Eruvanda asked after they'd left the Nitty Gritty.

"Yep," said Sean, "Didn't sound like he wanted to, but I'll take it."

"I guess Tiris did his duty," said Arquen.

"Who's Tiris?" asked Maria.

"He is my former subordinate," said Arquen, "And he is still loyal to Eruvanda."

"And he's helping us out, eh?" asked Kevin, "I'll take it. I just don't like robots."

"Knowing Ragnar, he knows there are advantages to this," said Arquen.

"I got that idea, too," said Sean. "Still, at least we don't have that massive anvil of guilt hanging over our heads destroying robots."

"Same here," said Maria. "Maybe we can move on now."

As they walked away, Jimmy passed by, nervously looking at Sean. "I should have known," he said to himself.

:-:-:-: Power Rangers GPX :-:-:-:

Sean VO: Next time on  _Power Rangers GPX Supercharged_!

Jimmy: Hey, Sean?

Sean: Yeah?

Maria: Who are you?

Jimmy: We need to talk.

Sean: I should have known.

Ragnar: Kill him!

Sean: That's next time on  _Power Rangers GPX Supercharged_!


	9. Jimmy Figures It Out

Kevin VO: Last time on  _Power Rangers GPX Supercharged_!

Col. Greene: I should have seen this coming.

Maelstrom ( _To Col. Greene_ ): You're more naïve than when we were at West Point.

Tommy: Please, get over this, okay?

Eruvanda: It is not easy for them to deal with the pressure.

Tiris: The Zordonians had a measure of success using a robot.

Ragnar: I am interested in Tiris's plan.

Sean: At least we don't have that massive anvil of guilt hanging over our heads destroying robots.

Power Rangers GPX Supercharged, episode 32: Jimmy Figures it Out

:-:-:-: We're the best chance for humanity, Power Rangers G-P-X, let's go! :-:-:-:

"Alright guys, remember, move the puck, pass it around and get it to the net, and most importantly,  _STAY FOCUSED._  Now, let's get out there, boys!" Coach Granger finished his pre-game speech to the Badger hockey team while they applauded and stood up. Tonight, they were playing the Minnesota Golden Gophers, their biggest rival.

"Alright guys, let's go, let's go!" Jimmy said while he stood up and clapped. The other players chattered, giving each other short pep talks. Interestingly, Shevchenko was not there. But a defender from Minneapolis named Jake had taken his place on the top defensive line.

The Badger players walked out of the locker room pumped and ready to go. But Jimmy grabbed Sean's shoulder. "Hey, Sean?" he asked.

"Yeah?" Sean asked his cousin.

Jimmy paused and pressed his lips together. He opened them, but nothing came out. Finally, he said, "Good luck out there."

Sean smirked in the way he usually does. "I don't need any," he said, grabbing his stick and walking out.

The horn blew loudly while the Badgers took the ice. The Kohl Center erupted in noise, drowning out the band's playing of "On Wisconsin", and it turned into boos as the maroon and gold-clad Gophers took to the ice.

In the student section, flags were waving while some students held up scarves like at a soccer match. One student sat near the front, banging on a drum to the beat of the fight song and singing loudly. Next to him, Kevin began to get ready to start the next chant going.

Maria, Hitomi, Janet, Daisuke, Aamir and Aaron sat in the middle of the student section, but near the aisle. "I can't believe Kevin turned this into an ultras section," said Aaron.

"What's an ultras section?" asked Aamir, "And how do you play this game?"

"Hush, noobie," said Janet. "Just listen to what I have to say, this is my country's game."

"I know," said Maria, "He and some grad school friends did this, at least that's what he told me."

"Hey, can you please—Maria!?" Maria turned to look at someone. They were Hispanic just like her, and her face covered her mouth. "Ay dios mio, Maria!? What are you doing here!?"

"Who are you?" Maria asked.

"Don't you remember me?" the girl asked, flipping her dark hair over her shoulder, "It's me, Veronica!"

Maria paused and thought for a moment while Hitomi looked on. "Veronica, where have I heard— _Ay dios mio_ —Veronica Jimenez!?"

"Maria, who's she?" asked Janet.

"She was my friend when I lived in Caracas!" said Maria, "What are you doing here!?"

"I could ask you the same thing!" said Veronica.

"I'm going to school here," said Maria, "And my boyfriend is on the ice right now!"

"Which one is he?" asked Veronica.

"Number 15 on the Badgers," said Maria. "Where's your seat?"

"Next to the Indian guy," said Veronica. She took her seat while the starting lineups were announced.

On the ice, excitement mixed with nervousness. The Gophers are the #1-ranked team in NCAA D-1 hockey. The Badgers might not even make the tournament. Still, it was a good opportunity for the Badgers to make their case for the NCAA tournament with a win over their archrivals. If you want to get an idea of how big this is, it is, in the author's opinion, the Michigan-Ohio State of college hockey. For those of you who live outside of the States and have no idea what I'm talking about, I apologize.

Sean, Jimmy and Ritchie lined up at their usual positions—Sean at left wing, Jimmy at center and Ritchie at right wing. Marty and Jake G lined up on defense. Jimmy stared down the Gopher center before turning his attention to the ref. The ref dropped the puck, Jimmy won the faceoff, and the game was under way!

The Badgers, dressed in their red-and-white Detroit Red Wings away uniform-inspired set, were aggressive early on to catch the Gophers off guard. The Badgers' top line skated circles around the Gophers, but the opposing defense was strong.

Sean skated around, handling the puck like Patrick Kane, making little moves with the puck. He dumped the puck off to Marty. He passed to Jimmy. Jimmy FIRED—

BLOCKED by the Gopher goalie!

The puck rattled around behind the goalie. Jake G raced into the corner and passed the puck back over to Jimmy.

Sean found an area of open ice near the net. He tapped the ice with his stick. "Jimmy! JIMMY!" he called out. He had no one around him and a clear shot on goal. A one-timer would open the scoring.

Jimmy turned his head and saw Sean calling for the puck. But hesitation gripped him. Why he hesitated he was not sure. But he was also feeling another bad emotion:

Mistrust.

Instead of passing to Sean, he passed over to Ritchie. And Gopher defender was in the way. "Ah, FUCK!" Sean yelled. The Gophers burst up the ice in a 3-on-2, with Marty and Jake G trying to stop them. The Gophers passed the puck around until their right winger fired a shot—

BLOCKED by Badger goalie Ken Grissom!

He passed the puck over to Sean. He crossed the red line and dumped the puck into the Gopher zone and retreated back to the bench.

"What was that?" Eruvanda asked (we forgot to mention she, Arquen, Bridget and Rob were in attendance as well). "Sean was open!"

"I have no idea," said Bridget. "Something's not right."

"Jimmy!" Sean called on the bench. "I was open!"

"I don't know," Jimmy honestly replied. Sean growled angrily before turning his attention back to the ice.

The Gophers got on the board first about 10 minutes into the game, taking advantage of a breakdown in defense by the Badgers. Their left winger intercepted an errant pass in the middle of a Badger change and stormed the net, all alone and put the puck past a helpless Grissom. Already, the air was out of the building.

"Ah, SHIT!" Bridget snapped.

Ritchie banged his fist on the board and panicked, thinking he'd put a dent in it. Thankfully, it wasn't there.

But just minutes later, the Badgers had the puck. Jimmy intercepted an errant Gopher pass and sent it to Ritchie, despite the fact that Sean was wide open. Ritchie used his speed to gain some open ice and then passed to Sean. He skated through several Gopher defenders and right when he'd gotten to the goal line, flipped a backhander on net,

SCORES!

The ref pointed to the puck in the net and Sean pumped his fist and did his best Patrick Kane celly impression while the crowd roared.

" _MI PRECIOSO! MI BONITO!_ " Maria screamed, hugging Veronica so tightly the other woman could barely breathe. She tried to get help, but everyone else was ignoring her for the upcoming "SIEVE" chant.

A "SIEVE" chant and one period later, the top line was back on the ice. The Badgers got another break and stormed the Gopher goal. The Gopher goalie turned Sean and Jimmy's shots away, but once it came to Ritchie, he pulled off his own amazing move and moved from right to left, shot on net,

SCORES!

The crowd went crazy again whilst Ritchie also celebrated, pumping and swinging his arms around. For a player from Wisconsin, beating the Gophers—or at least scoring against them—is a huge deal.

And now of course, it was Janet's turn to go crazy during the celebration for  _her_ boyfriend. She also grabbed poor Veronica, shaking the other Venezuelan woman so hard she had to push her away.

The Gophers were not done, however. They tied the game up with 3:14 left in the second period and held off a furious Badger assault in the final minute to bring the period to an end. The Badgers left the ice a little disappointed, but surprisingly satisfied with their game.

To be sure though, Coach Grainger wasn't happy about the way they were playing, especially how Jimmy wasn't passing to Sean. "Jimmy, if Sean is open,  _pass it to him_!" he emphasized while banging his marker on the white board of a play involving the top line. Sean glanced over at Jimmy and saw the ashamed expression on his cousin/captain's face. But he also glared at Jimmy.

"Yes, coach," he said after being unable to take several moments of Sean's fiery glare.

The Badgers came out of the locker room charged and ready to go for the third period. Starting from the drop of the puck, they fought the Gophers hard and fast. Grainger's adjustments had the Badgers skating circles around the Gophers, but the lineup was pretty much intact.

Several minutes into the period, the Badgers made a line change back to the top line of Sean, Jimmy and Ritchie. Marty and Jake G came out onto the ice, as well. The Gophers attacked the Badger net, but Marty was able to stop the puck and passed over to Jake G. Jake G passed over to Jimmy, who took the puck back into the neutral zone.

But two Gopher defenders stopped him in his tracks. But he passed it over to Sean. With both Gopher defenders tied up, Sean skated up to the goalie, handled the puck, fired on net,

SCORES!

The crowd roared again! Sean showboated while shouting an inaudible "ARE YOU NOT ENTERTAINED!?" He stopped and waited with his arms wide open. To his happy surprise, Jimmy was there first to hug him.

Sean wasn't sure why Jimmy ignored him at first, but he was glad his cousin didn't have any hard feeling so far.

He returned the favor just minutes later. He intercepted the puck and raced into the Gopher end of the ice, where he dumped the puck off to Jimmy. Jimmy fired from the slot,

SCORES!

Sean skated over to Jimmy and hugged him. Ritchie, Marty and Jake G followed suit.

The Badgers held on to that 4-2 lead. It was tight and tense at moments, but in the end, the Badgers held off the #1 Gophers for the victory, a major win not just over their arch-rivals, but put them back in the hunt for an NCAA tournament spot.

After the game, the others waited outside the Kohl Center in the freezing air. Maria and Veronica were still talking. By now the language had switched to Spanish, which made it impossible for the others to understand, even Janet.

But finally, Sean, Ritchie, Marty and Jimmy emerged from the Kohl Center. Sean ran up to Maria without dropping his bag and lifted her up to spin her around. Ritchie also hugged Janet, but Jimmy and Marty just stood by looking impatient. "A-HEM!" Jimmy cleared his throat.

"That was a marvelous performance," said Eruvanda.

"I call it Kane-esque!" Sean laughed. He noticed Veronica and was naturally confused. "Who's she?"

"Sean, this is Veronica," said Maria, "She was my best friend in Venezuela."

"Oh, that's cool," said Sean, "Nice to meet you, I'm Sean."

"It's nice to meet you, too," said Veronica.

"Let's go and get something to eat," said Sean, "And split the bill, I'm not paying for the whole group."

"Um, no thanks, I think I'll head back to my dorm," said Jimmy.

"Eh, suit yourself," said Ritchie. The group left without Jimmy. And he immediately kicked himself at being unable to confront Sean.

:-:-:-: PRGPX :-:-:-:

He got his opportunity the next Monday.

Sean was walking down across the Humanities Building with his iPhone earbuds in, listening to The Offspring. Jimmy was walking across the bridge connecting the Humanities Building with Bascom Hill in the opposite direction when he noticed Sean walking right towards him. Jimmy thought about what to do. Should he confront him now, or should he wait? The two sides battled within for a few moments.

"Sup, Jimmy?" Sean asked as he walked towards him, not even taking his earbuds out.

Jimmy must have reacted on his own, because he reached and grabbed Sean's elbow. "Uh, Jimmy, what are you doing?" Sean asked, taking out his earbuds.

 _Here goes nothing_ , Jimmy thought. "We need to talk."

"About what?" Sean asked, taking his earbuds out.

"Um, I saw the Power Rangers last week," said Jimmy, "And the Red Ranger crashed into the building in front me."

"Dayum," said Sean, "Sounds crazy."

"And I heard his voice," said Jimmy, "And it sounded like you."

Sean sighed and rolled his eyes. "Again? Look, Jimmy, I have to go—"

"HEY! Don't walk away from me!" Jimmy shouted, grabbing his backpack. "We're not done here! Don't think you can weasel your way out of this!"

"Let me go, Seamus!" Sean snapped.

"Not happening," said Jimmy. "I'm not stupid, Sean. Why did you go to Tokyo?"

"Miyazawa internship," he replied, "Rich Boy was my boss."

"And why Orlando?"

"Because Miyazawa had something to do there," Sean replied. But Jimmy knew this part of the story was bullshit.

"Sean, when I first heard about what was going on in Tokyo, I didn't mind," said Jimmy, "But when you moved to Orlando and those aliens attacked, I got suspicious. And then you showed up here in Madison and those Elves attacked? Am I allowed to get suspicious?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about, Jimmy," Sean replied. "Now let me go!"

"Yes you do, stop lying to me!" Jimmy snapped, "That Elf queen shows up and all of a sudden, you have a new housemate? And that new Harry Potter scar on your forehead? How am I not supposed to get suspicious? I know what's going on, Sean.

"You're a Power Ranger."

Sean sighed and shook his head. "And you're delusional," he replied. "I'm outta here, I've got to get something from Babcock—HEY!"

Jimmy grabbed Sean's arm and pulled it towards him while pulling his sleeve up. Is eyes widened both in surprise and in fury when he saw the AcceleMorpher on Sean's wrist.

Next thing he knew, Sean grabbed him by the collar and pulled him towards him. "You did not see anything," he said in the darkest, angriest voice that Jimmy had ever heard coming out of his cousin. But the expression on Sean's face meant he meant business.

"What are you going to do?" Jimmy asked defiantly "Kill me?" The look in Sean's eyes told Jimmy that even though he wanted to, he could not bring himself to kill his cousin. It was that simple. "I already know you won't do it, Sean."

"I should have known," he said. He let go of Jimmy.

"Are you gonna tell me what's going on?" Jimmy asked.

"Are you going to tell anyone?" Sean replied.

"No," Jimmy replied.

"I hope you're being honest," said Sean. "And is this why you were acting weird during the games?"

"Yes and yes," said Jimmy. "Now what are you going to tell me?"

Sean looked around, noticing there were other people nearby. He wasn't about to spill the beans just yet, especially not when he risked exposure. "Let me guess, superhero stuff?" asked Jimmy. Sean brought his finger to his own lips to silence him. "Hey, you think someone's gonna think we're having a gay moment?"

"I dunno," Sean sighed, leaning forward against the railing. "You wanna hear my story or not?"

"Oh, right! Sorry." Jimmy also leaned against the railing while Sean started talking.

"Technically it started in I think March or February last year when I applied for the Miyazawa internship," he started, "In April, I got an e-mail from the Miyazawa people…" He proceeded to tell Jimmy (almost) everything, from Project Ranger, to how Phaedos nearly killed them, to the fight on Christmas Eve and why Arquen and Eruvanda were staying with them. And Jimmy was listening intently.

"So… this Ragnar guy… you think he's like Osama Bin Laden?" Jimmy asked.

"It's the only analogy I can think of," said Sean.

"And why hasn't he just bombed the city?"

"I keep asking that myself," said Sean. "I think it's because he wants to kill us first as a message to the rest of humanity."

"Because of the whole… champion… thing?"

"Except he's smart to refuse every challenge, unlike Rashon," said Sean.

"And that whole 'never surrender' thing?"

"Sheer determination isn't going to win everything," said Sean, "He could easily get pissed off and kill us all. Luckily, thanks to those suits and our training, we're on even terms with the Elves."

"And you're nothing like the TV show," Jimmy concluded.

"Did anyone say we had to be a punch of smiling goody-two-shoes?" Sean replied. "I'm a real person, not a cardboard cutout."

"Well, sor-ry!" Jimmy replied. He opened his mouth again to speak when he saw a crackle of electricity out of the corner of his eye. Sean saw the same thing.

"Stay back," he said. Jimmy backed off and watched his cousin run off the bridge while other bystanders left.

Sean had already pulled something up to cover his face when the real, flesh-and-blood monster appeared. "Shit," he said under his breath, "I should have known Ragnar wasn't going to stop sending monsters."

"Come on, Red, are you scared to fight me, too?" the monster taunted.

Sean did not reply, instead holding up his arm. "GPX, Start it Up!" Sean morphed, right in front of Jimmy, and got in a defensive stance. The monster charged at Sean, Sean threw a punch that stopped the monster dead in its tracks right before it could reach the bridge.

Sean pushed the monster off and punched it hard. He kicked the monster again, spun around and delivered a reverse roundhouse kick that knocked the monster down.

The monster got back up and threw a right hook that caught Sean off guard. He fell on his backside on the bridge, but got back up in time to block the monster's next punch. Sean kicked the monster in the gut and punched it again. The monster growled but looked up to see Sean running towards him. Sean jumped and kicked the monster, knocking it down onto the hill.

Now Sean wanted to get behind the monster and use the angle of the hill to his advantage. Unfortunately, he was afraid that the monster would attack Jimmy on the bridge. Had Jimmy moved yet? Or was he too distracted?

Jimmy was too distracted. He was too amazed at the way Sean was holding the monster off by himself and how good of a fighter he was.

NO, YOU IDIOTS, THAT IS NOT HO YAY!

"RUN, YOU IDIOT!" Sean screamed.

But the real reason Jimmy didn't move was because he was scared. "Ah, FUCK!" Sean kicked the monster in the jaw and summoned his GT Sword. He had to end this now.

But he couldn't.

And the monster knew this. It ran right at him as he hesitated and knocked him down, running straight for Jimmy. Jimmy started to move, but once the monster was close enough, the survival instincts kicked in. Jimmy threw a punch that knocked the monster backwards. And with Sean still on the ground, he stayed there and tripped the monster over.

Sean wasn't about to let the monster stay on the bridge. He nudged the monster off the bridge. He swung the sword at the monster, taking several big cuts. "You fight like an iceberg," he said.

"Icebergs can hurt," the monster replied. It took a backhanded swing at Sean. Sean dodged and swung again.

:-:-:-: Power Rangers GPX :-:-:-:

Ragnar watched the battle from his office along with Phaedos and Ingvar. The three were agitated that Sean was holding his own against the monster, but if it could wear him down or take advantage of his hesitation, so be it.

But they were also interested in Jimmy.

An NCO stepped into the office, tearing their eyes away from the screen. "Commander Ragnar, sir," he said, "We have run the other person's face through the recognition software."

"Without my orders?" asked Ragnar.

"We thought it would be smart to take the initiative," the NCO replied nervously.

"A smart move," said Ragnar, "What did you find?"

"We were suspicious at first, but the software confirmed them," the NCO continued, "His name is Seamus O'Callahan, and we found, through the Project Ranger database that we hacked into, he is a full trainee."

Phaedos smiled menacingly and looked to Ragnar. Ragnar must have been thinking the same thing. "Listen to me, Naz," he said, "That human on the bridge behind the Red Ranger is a Project Ranger trainee. Kill him."

:-:-:-: PRGPX :-:-:-:

Naz listened intently and also smiled menacingly. "Understood," he said. The monster rushed Sean, but Sean stopped him cold with a cut from his sword. Sean kicked the monster in the gut. His kick knocked an earpiece out of Naz's… ear and he could hear Ragnar's voice when he picked it up.

" _Kill the Project Ranger trainee!_ "

Sean could be easily be forgiven for thinking it was about him. So he kicked Naz in the head. But Naz tried to shove Sean out of the way.

After he pushed Naz out of the way, he backed off towards the opening of the bridge. "Did Ragnar have to call me that?" he asked.

"Out of my way, Red Ranger!" Naz spat.

Sean raised his sword and prepared to strike. But he thought about Naz's words.

A horrified realization swept through him. He turned around and looked at Jimmy. Jimmy couldn't see Sean's face, but he could tell what he was thinking. "Jimmy… RUUUNNN!"

Now Jimmy didn't hesitate. He turned and ran away as fast as he could. Naz growled and charged Sean, but the Red Ranger stubbornly stood still. He stopped Naz right in his tracks. He shoved Naz away, and although Naz could not see his face, he stared the monster down with rage in his eyes. "Touch him and I'll KILL you!" he said.

"Are you sure?" Naz replied.

"Try me," he replied.

"Your funeral," Naz replied. Naz charged forward, but Sean stopped him again with his GT Sword. "Where are your friends, Red Ranger? Are they afraid?"

"WHERE THE FUCK ARE YOU IDIOTS!" Sean screamed into his radio. "I HAVE BEEN HOLDING THIS MONSTER OFF FOR FIVE FUCKING MINUTES! GET OVER HERE  _NOW_! THAT'S A FUCKING ORDER!"

Ritchie appeared and jumped up the embankment and punched Naz right in the face. Maria and Hitomi followed up just seconds later, crossed the bridge. "Did you have to be so rude?" Ritchie quipped.

"I'VE BEEN HOLDING HIM OFF FOR FIVE MINUTES!" Sean angrily reiterated, "DON'T TALK BACK TO ME LIKE THAT! HE'S TRYING TO KILL JIMMY!"

"Shit!" Ritchie breathed.

"Surround him!" Sean ordered without skipping a beat.

The other Rangers did so. Sean raised his sword at Naz and silently challenged him.

Naz charged at Sean. Maria interrupted from the left, kicking Naz in the head. Naz tried to counter. Maria ducked and swept-kicked Naz off his feet. Ritchie rushed in and tried to stomp on him. Naz grabbed Ritchie's leg and threw him to the ground. Maria grabbed Naz and pushed him back to the ground. Naz struggled to get up, but Hitomi ran in to deliver the big-leg drop on him.

Sen raised his sword up to deliver to killing blow. Naz grabbed Sean's leg and ripped it out from under him. Maria tackled Naz and stabbed at him. Naz dodged each stab. He shoved Maria out of his face and got back up.

"You Rangers are a persistent and annoying lot," he growled.

"We'll take that as a compliment," said Sean.

Naz did not take too kindly to Sean's response and threw a punch at him. Sean wrapped his arm around Naz's. He elbowed Naz in his inner elbow. Naz grabbed his elbow in pain. In his distraction, Ritchie kicked Naz in the head. Maria punched him in the stomach and Hitomi kicked him in the back of the head. "Get out of here, monster," said Sean. "We don't want to kill you."

"Why must I?" Naz asked, "You do not know my mission."

"Your mission is to destroy us?" asked Maria. "And to kill that other guy?"

"Smart," said Naz. Sean kicked Naz in the head out of frustration.

"Look, we're not crazy about the whole killing thing," said Sean, "We're not murderers."

"I thought that was established earlier," said Naz.

"Shall I say it again?" asked Sean.

Naz grabbed Sean's leg. Sean kicked Naz. Naz got back up. Sean, Maria and Ritchie started pushing Naz up the hill and away from the bridge, with Hitomi keeping him from escaping. Sean spun and kicked Naz. Naz blocked the kick. Maria kicked Naz in the back of the knee. Naz fell down, gripping that knee. Hitomi jumped on Ritchie's shoulders and launched herself to kick him in the head.

"This is your last warning… whatever your name is," said Sean. "Surrender NOW!"

"NO!" Naz wasn't done. He punched Ritchie in the solar plexus. The Gold Ranger doubled over to leave just Sean, Maria and Hitomi to handle Naz. Naz did not let up, kicking Maria. The kick knocked her down the hill. He punched Sean, also sending him down the hill.

Now with only Hitomi left, he grabbed her and threw her into a tree. He looked around for Jimmy, but the Canadian was nowhere to be seen.

He was hiding inside the Humanities Building. With this part of the campus on lockdown, he could not get inside and instead had to hide behind one of the columns.

He was sweating profusely, despite the frigid temperatures. Not helping was his pounding heart, which was so loud that he was afraid that the monster would hear it and come straight for him. But he was too scared to move anywhere else. If he did, he'd be a sitting duck in the Library Mall or on the bridge leading to the communications building. What a tight spot, indeed.

Naz sauntered threateningly toward the bridge. But Maria stoop up and kicked him in the back of the knee, the same one she kicked earlier. Naz fell down. Maria punched him. He blocked. He countered. Maria blocked that one. He lunged at her, but Ritchie got back up and punched him, too. Sean stood back up and picked up his sword. He took a big cut at Naz.

"It's time to end this," he said. "AcceleKeys!" The others took their AcceleKeys out, save for Ritchie.

"What about the others?" he asked.

"Forget them!" Sean replied. The others jammed their keys into their weapons. Jimmy peeked out from his hiding spot at the right time.

But they hesitated again. Naz laughed and beckoned them to attack. "You cowards!" he taunted, "You still can't—!"

A blast of blue energy flew past him. Naz looked around, as did the other Rangers. Naz turned back to the Rangers and prepared to charge them. They raised their weapons in preparation,

Naz was struck by a blue blast from behind. The monster screamed in agony, then fell to the ground. The Rangers inspected Naz carefully, nudging his body. But the monster's still form could only mean one thing.

He was dead.

"What the fuck?" Sean asked as all four Rangers' suits de-powered, revealing their civilian forms just as Kevin and Daisuke arrived on the scene.

"I take it we're late," Kevin said disappointedly, "What happened?"

"I dunno," Sean replied. "Gold, go check it out."

Ritchie ran up the hill towards where he thought the blast came from. He looked around, but there seemed to be no sign of the source of the energy blasts. "I don't see anything!" he said while running down the hill back towards the others.

"Who could it have been?" asked Maria. "It couldn't have been Rusco, he has a class right now!"

"What about Gina?" asked Sean.

"She's in school," said Hitomi.

"Okay, this is strange," said Sean.

"What's strange?"

Sean turned around and gasped upon seeing Jimmy right up next to them. The others looked around at each other and back to Sean, who rolled his eyes. "He figured it out on his own!" he said.

"So… Kevin, Maria and… Metoxen? Those guys are Rangers?"

"Yes," Sean replied, shielding his eyes from the glares of his Ranger teammates. "Ndebele is also a Ranger, but he's incapacitated right now."

"So what now?" asked Jimmy.

"What now? I gotta explain everything to these guys!" Sean replied.

"And find out who fired that energy blast," said Maria. "And why you told Jimmy."

"I told you, he figured it out on his own and he rolled up my jacket sleeve to see my morpher!" Sean groaned while rubbing his face.

"I take it this was a bad time?" asked Jimmy.

"Yes," said Kevin.

"But, he already said he won't tell anyone," said Sean. "Besides, there's something else I found out." He looked at Jimmy while the others watched.

"Um, what do you mean?" asked Jimmy.

Sean took in a sharp breath, sighed and said, "Jimmy, you're one of us; you're a Ranger trainee."

:-:-:-: Power Rangers GPX :-:-:-:

Daisuke VO: Forthcoming on  _Power Rangers GPX Supercharged!_

Jimmy: I'M A RANGER TRAINEE!?

Eruvanda: Who could that have been?

Ragnar: I heard the rumors, but…

Jimmy: So what now?

Veronica: There's a reason I didn't talk to you.

Hitomi: What do you know, Gina?

Daisuke VO: That is forthcoming on  _Power Rangers GPX Supercharged!_

End chapter


	10. Right Out of Nowhere

Maria VO: Last time on  _Power Rangers GPX Supercharged_!

Maria:  _Ay dios mio_ —Veronica Jimenez!?

Jimmy: "And the Red Ranger crashed into the building in front me."

Sean: "I have no idea what you're talking about, Jimmy."

Jimmy: "I know what's going on, Sean. You're a Power Ranger."

Sean: "You wanna hear my story or not?"

Elf NCO: "His name is Seamus O'Callahan, and we found, through the Project Ranger database that we hacked into, he is a full trainee."

( _The Rangers fight the monster. But they cannot kill him. However, a blast of blue energy does the job for them_ )

Ritchie: "I didn't see anything!"

Mara: "Who could it have been?"

Sean: ( _To Jimmy_ ) Jimmy, you're one of us; you're a Ranger trainee.

Power Rangers GPX, episode 33: Right Out of Nowhere

:-:-:-: We're the best chance for humanity, Pow-wer Rang-gers G-P-X, let's go! :-:-:-:

"I'M A RANGER TRAINEE!?" Jimmy screamed.

"You've said that fifteen times already!" Sean replied.

"Yeah, I know that, but… HOW!?"

Sean sighed and looked over the paper in Jimmy's Project Ranger file. "Seamus O'Callahan," he read, "Born December fifth, 1988, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Studied Shotokan karate and fencing; attended Project Ranger-sponsored camps in Thunder Bay, Ontario from ages 11-13, took part in Project Ranger-sponsored after-school programs in Toronto. Has shown above-average leadership skills, particularly in ice hockey, where he has captained three teams, including University of Wisconsin-Madison ice hockey team. You want me to repeat that?"

"Wow," said Jimmy, "I mean, no, you don't have to."

Sean looked up from his spot on his living room couch and closed the file. "Were you as surprised as I was when you found out?" Jimmy asked.

"Actually, I thought they were bullshitting me," Sean replied with a laugh. "I was thinking, 'I came here for an internship, thought I was about to do something I couldn't regret and they're asking me to be a Power Ranger? Fuck this!'"

"So what about you, Metoxen, how did you find out?" Jimmy asked turning to Ritchie.

"The bad guys told me," Ritchie replied, "They were… kinda trying to kill me."

"Metoxen did his shit in and around Green Bay, for the most part," Sean continued, "I did mine in Chicago and out in Wheaton."

"That's where your camp was?" Jimmy asked incredulously, "Shit, and I had to do mine 15 hours from Toronto?"

"Pffft! Don't ask," said Sean, "Maria did most of her stuff in Caracas and her camp was in Florida."

"You never told me!" said Jimmy.

"You never asked," said Maria.

"Jeez," Jimmy sighed. "So what are we going to do with the Elves anyway?"

"I shall tell you." Eruvanda stepped into the room, crossing her arms, "I am Eruvanda II of the House of Oberon, Queen of the Elves."

Jimmy's jaw nearly hit the floor. "QUEEN!?" he screamed

"Yeah, like the one  _you_  answer to," said Sean.

"I intend to free my people from Ragnar's grip," she said, ignoring Sean, "And once that happens, I will declare this foolish campaign over. Our planet's destiny requires that our two species co-exist peacefully so that we can solve whatever dangers we face."

"I like that sentiment," said Jimmy.

"But you're skeptical," said Sean.

"Those teabaggers piss me off," said Jimmy.

"Same here," Sean replied.

"So why do you sound so optimistic?" Jimmy asked.

"Because let's face it, a lot of things Ragnar's said, he's got a point," said Sean, "But we're gonna prove him wrong. We're fighting for a future here, Jimmy."

"And?"

"Pessimism is counterproductive," said Sean.

"I see," said Jimmy.

"Optimism got humans to the moon, Jimmy," said Sean, "Optimism will save us all. We're not in this alone. I'm already writing an editorial for the Daily Cardinal to explain what the Power Rangers stand for so I can hammer it into people's heads and tell them we're not just superheroes who use unnecessary violence."

"So what now?" asked Jimmy.

"Keep doing what you do," said Sean.

Jimmy sighed and leaned back against the couch. He looked at Eruvanda and back to Sean. "I can't believe you have a  _queen_ living with you."

Sean couldn't stop himself from laughing. "Well, I dunno if Maria's  _that_  proud of herself," he joked, which made her roll her eyes.

"So what now?" Jimmy asked.

"Now, we've got to find out who fired that energy staff that killed the monster," said Maria.

"Who could that have been?" asked Eruvanda.

"I dunno, but it wasn't Gina, Rusco or Rovain," said Ritchie. "What about you two?"

"We were still here watching  _Gatchaman_ ," said Eruvanda.

"Okay, so that rules you two out," said Sean. "I guess we could find out if it was Gina, but I doubt it."

"What if it was other elves?" asked Jimmy.

"There's that possibility," said Sean. "And I'm not ruling it out."

:-:-:-: PRGPX :-:-:-:

Ragnar SHOULD have been angry. But he was not.

"This is vexing," he said while looking at the report of the recent battle, "What could that have been?"

"We are not certain, Commander," said Ingvar.

"I am not paying you to be uncertain, Ingvar," said Ragnar.

"That is the issue," said Ingvar, "We do not know what it was. The perpetrator disappeared after killing the monster. Not even the Rangers knew what it was."

"Then that eases my discomfort," said Ragnar. "But I doubt it erases it."

"We have no reason to believe that humans have discovered how to use energy staffs," said Ingvar, "Unless they were SWORD agents, but that would mean the perpetrator would have stayed behind."

"I hope you realize what you are trying to say," said Ragnar.

"I understand it has not been determined yet," said Ingvar, "But I believe another Elf fired that shot."

"You mean Rusco?" asked Ragnar.

"Rusco would have stayed," said Ingvar. "I believe the rumors are true."

"I heard the rumors, but…" Ragnar strayed in his thoughts, but he could not consider it. "Until there is evidence of elves living outside our cities and in human lands, I will not believe it."

"You do not mean the defectors, do you?" asked Ingvar.

"I know of the defectors," said Ragnar. "These elves, if they existed, would not be defectors.

"And until we determine what that was, I want the campaign to continue unimpeded."

"Yes, sir," said Ingvar, "And another thing: Intelligence has discovered something…  _interesting_  about Project Ranger."

:-:-:-: Power Rangers GPX :-:-:-:

When Maria was done with one of her classes, she went over to the food carts at State Street to get some lunch. The one cart she wanted to go to was Caracas Empanadas, since she was feeling a little homesick for old Caracas and needed some Venezuelan comfort food. Located on Library Mall, it was a quick hop and a step away from her class building.

Her empanada was greasy, but she ate it quickly out of her nostalgia and actual hunger. Part of her hoped that Sean would show up, but he was probably going to Der Rathskellar instead. It wasn't the end of the world, though, she just felt a little disappointed.

She felt a hand touch her shoulder. She turned and saw Veronica waving at her. "Veronica!" she cheered, hugging her old  _amiga._  " _Como estas_?"

" _Soy bien_ ," said Veronica. "But, there's something I wanted to tell you."

"What is it?" asked Maria.

"There's a reason I didn't talk to you for years," said Veronica. Maria's smile turned upside down pretty quick. "I had to leave school because I had cancer."

Maria gasped. "Cancer!?" she gasped again. "But… but how?"

"Osteosarcoma is not a rare cancer, at least among kids," said Veronica. "I'm fine now, but… I'm so sorry, Maria."

"Oh, how could I be mad?" Maria asked, hugging her old friend tightly, "I'm the one who should be sorry. I never should've gone to Brazil without seeing you first."

" _Muchos gracias_ , Maria," said Veronica.

Maria looked up and saw Sean and Jimmy walking by towards the Memorial Union. Instead of letting go, she held onto Veronica and let her boyfriend have some time to talk to his cousin.

"So what now?" the Canadian, who wore a red Raptors hat, asked.

"Didn't you already ask that?" asked Sean. Just so he didn't have to answer that question, he changed the subject. "Jake got traded, didn't he?"

"Yeah, to the Leafs," said Jimmy. "And so did I."

"You got traded to the Leafs?" Sean asked. "From who?"

"Calgary," said Jimmy, "It's okay, I didn't want to have to play for the base of that bastard Harper."

Sean laughed and glanced over at Maria. She waved and he waved back, but he kept walking with Jimmy. She was so busy with her friend that he decided to give her the freedom she needed, like a good boyfriend would do.

:-:-:-: PRGPX :-:-:-:

Hitomi's assignment was easy: Write a 5-page essay on—no, wait, that's for her Freshman English class. No, her Ranger assignment was to get a hold of Gina, if possible, and get some idea on what that was that fired that energy staff. That's easy enough. Problem is, Gina was still in school. Oh well, nothing a little e-mail exchange couldn't help.

The waiting period, however, lasted a while. She knew Gina couldn't be at her computer or e-mail during class, but come  _on_! She'd already got her studying done, so she could continue to work on her  _Naruto yaoi doujin_ , or she could send a follow-up on Facebook… maybe she could do something else, especially with her roommate Karen getting back from her classes (the last time Hitomi pulled out her WIP doujin, Karen's brain needed rebooting several times).

"Good afternoon, Hitomi," she said, throwing her jacket onto their coat rack.

"Good afternoon," Hitomi replied. "How was your day?"

"Ugh, my teacher is an  _ass_ ," said Karen, "I need a Coke, is there any in the fridge?"

"There should be," Hitomi said, pointing at their mini-fridge.

"Thanks."

"What's your teacher's name?" she asked.

"Professor Fox," said Karen.

"I know someone who has him as a teacher," said Hitomi, "Are you studying to—"

"No, it's a class my academic advisor told me to take," said Karen. "I'm never listening to her again."

Hitomi laughed sheepishly. "Um, that's nice."

Karen scoffed. "Of course it's not," she said matter-of-factly.

"Sorry I asked," Hitomi muttered.

"OI!" Someone, that East Asian girl that Hitomi saw on occasion, ran into their doorway, looking around and realizing her target wasn't there. "Oi, have you seen my mate Felicity?" she asked in an English accent.

"Who?" asked Hitomi.

"Forget it," said the East Asian girl, "Some of the boys got into a mattress fight down the hall and—" the sound of freshmen cheering and hollering interrupted her. "Oh, damn."

"By the way, what's your name?" asked Hitomi.

"Hae-Young Li," she said, "But everyone calls me Lee."

"Hi, Lee," said Hitomi, "Are you from Seoul?"

"Yeah! And London!" The surprised Hitomi tried to ask, but Lee was out of the doorway before she could ask.

A flashing thingie on her laptop caught her attention and so she turned to the screen. It seems Gina replied to her e-mail! She opened it excitedly and read it to herself. She wasn't excited after reading it, nor was she disappointed. Instead, she was perplexed and confused. Gina not only confirmed that neither she nor Rusco fired the energy staff, but she did not know who might have. She knew there were upwards of 10 elves in and around Madison, but that was it. In fact, she ended by saying there could be less.

Hitomi didn't know what to do now. But, she wanted to know more. So she typed out, "Is there anything else you can think of?" before sending it off.

A couple minutes later, Gina sent a response. "There might be more elves that we don't know about," it read.

"What do you know, Gina?" Hitomi asked. No, wait, that didn't work. She deleted that message and wrote something else. "What is it that you do know?" she re-wrote.

Gina replied, "Not much. I know dad told me about hidden elf villages in the woods, but they were bedtime stories."

Bedtime stories were good, but not good enough. It was back to square 1, as the Americans said. But another e-mail popped into her inbox. Opening it, she read, "But I did once overhear dad talking about something like that to mom, but I'm not sure."

"Ask your dad," Hitomi wrote back.

:-:-:-: Power Rangers GPX :-:-:-:

"You still want to get rid of Rich Boy?" Jimmy asked while he and Sean ate in a quiet corner at Der Rathskellar.

"Except I'm not sure if I can," Sean replied. "I'm not replacing him with you, because that would be replacing nepotism with nepotism."

"What about that Arquen guy?" Jimmy asked.

"Because then there would be three white guys on the team," said Sean, "It'd be another problem if I replaced Rich Boy with you."

"Yeah, but just think; the Green Ranger is an elf, you'd have a way of combating Ragnar's rhetoric and potential racism!"

"I'm not revealing a Ranger's secret identity!" Sean replied, "That's the first rule of superheroes!"

"Oh, right, I forgot," said Jimmy. "So you're stuck with Rich Boy?"

"Unless he quits, but I know him well enough to know that he'll stick around just to spite me," said Sean. "And if he does, it'll come right the fuck out of nowhere and we might not be able to configure the AcceleMorpher to Arquen's elven DNA."

"Ah who knows, he's a temp anyway, he might decide to end it on early and on his own terms," said Jimmy. "But he's that bad, huh?"

"He did a Bill Lumbergh impression after we watched  _Office Space_  one evening," said Sean, "I never forgave him."

"At least his sister's nice," said Jimmy, "She's got a boyfriend now?"

"Yeah, and Rich Boy's pissed," said Sean, "I think he—"

"I dunno," said Jimmy, "You know that Gina girl? I've seen those two make googly... dovey... doe-eyes at each other."

"Girls tend to be like that," said Sean, "Wait, what the hell are you getting at?"

"NOTHING, NOTHING!" Jimmy said. "You sure she likes Aamir?"

"As far as I know."

"She didn't seem that excited when we first met him. Maybe they're just getting to know each other."

"Ah well," said Sean. He sighed and put the Miller Lite down. "Whatever. I'm just a little tired right now."

"Oh. So will I ever get a morpher?"

"Maybe," Sean laughed. "Just not an AcceleMorpher."

"Oh darn," said Jimmy.

"Come on, let's get outta here," said Sean. "Hopefully Hitomi's got some info for us." The two left Der Rathskellar while Sean hummed the tune of "Jungle Bells".

:-:-:-: PRGPX :-:-:-:

"… Chemotherapy was a nightmare," said Veronica, "Not only did I lose my hair, I lost several pounds and it was almost impossible for me to eat solid foods because my stomach was so inflamed."

" _Ay dios mio_ , that's horrible," said Maria.

"I was in such bad shape my school let me be take my lessons at home or the hospital," Veronica continued, "And I think my mom had it worse than I did."

"I wish I'd known," said Maria, "But after I told Chavez to go to hell to his face, he got angry at my dad and promised to ruin his life. That's why I moved to Brazil with my moms."

"It's not fair," said Veronica, "I could only imagine how bad it was."

"Actually, I got used to it," said Maria, "It wasn't that bad."

"That's good," Veronica chuckled.

"And I became great friends with everyone in Japan," said Maria, "You can see why I followed them all to Florida and here."

"I'm getting envious," said Veronica, "You have such great friends."

"Thanks, I—What's that?"

Lightning crackled in the middle of the street in front of the Allen Centennial Gardens. Maria gently pushed Veronica away, and said woman, having been on this campus long enough, took a couple of gingerly steps down Observatory Drive and then into a full-blown run. She wasn't about to die here. Maria, of course, stayed behind and got out her AcceleKey.

"GPX! Start it Up!" she cried, jamming it into her AcceleMorpher.

She morphed and the robotic enemy appeared in front of her. She laughed. Looks like Ragnar was toying with them. A number of Suitroops also materialized. She got into a fighting stance and prepared for what would be a difficult fight.

Over on Library Mall, Sean got the beeping message from SWORD. Jimmy, who was still next to him, looked at him and sighed. "Duty calls, eh?"

"Yep," said Sean, "Another one of Ragnar's jagovs sent to kill us." He took his backpack off and handed it to Jimmy. "Here, take this back to my house, please."

"And here's my hat," Jimmy said, taking his Raptors cap off and placing it on Sean's head. "I'll leave yours at your house."

"Thanks," Sean groaned. He and Jimmy exchanged a handshake and Sean took off to the west towards the Gardens.

Maria threw a barrage of punches at the Suitroops, trying to get at the robotic monster. Her kicks landed on their heads, knocking them off. She grabbed one by the neck and, using a move she'd seen on YouTube, lifted the 'Troop off the ground and slammed it on its back. A blow to the back knocked her down, but she rolled out of the way as an energy staff hit the pavement in front of her.

She jumped and split-kicked the Suitroops that attacked her. She landed, jumped and spun 540 degrees, kicking the Suitroop in front of her, swinging her head to keep her momentum up on the third kick. The Suitroop fell to the ground in pieces.

" _On my way, babe!_ " she head Sean's voice crackling in her in-helmet radio.

" _Gracias, mi precioso,_ " she said. She didn't waste a nanosecond to resume the combat.

Fortunately for her, Hitomi lived nearby and was the first one on the scene. She jumped up and vaulted off her friend's shoulder and lunged at the monster. The blast of an energy staff, which hit her suit and exploded, knocked her down. But Hitomi got back up and spun to kick the Suitroops that had surrounded her. She summoned her Am Staff and spun around again, throwing sparks all around.

Maria proceeded to summon her weapons, the Haz Daggers. Immediately she stabbed a Suitroop in the neck and nearly decapitated it. The Suitroop fell into a pile of its comrades. Her HUD alerted her to incoming enemies, and she kicked the Suitroop down.

"GPX, START IT UP!" Her boyfriend shouted as he ran down Observatory Drive. It was easy with no one around him. With his suit on, he ran faster while the sound of a racing engine emanated from him. When he was close enough to see Hitomi and Maria, he ran straight for the robot monster. The robot monster saw him and prepared to defend itself. Sean brought his knee up, but then threw a powerful punch that knocked the robot backwards.

Sean grabbed the dazed robot and tossed it over to Maria and Hitomi. "Ladies!" he said, "Your turn!" Maria and Hitomi, in perfect sync, kicked the robot hard. The two fist-bumped.

The robot got back up and noticed it was surrounded by three Rangers. "What are you doing here, Ragnar?" asked Sean.

" _Where is Seamus O'Callahan?_ " Ragnar's voice asked from the robot.

"That's for me to know and you to find out!" Sean replied. The robot punched at the Rangers, but they jumped out of the way. "Jingle bells, Ragnar smells, Ingvar laid an egg!" Sean sang, "The big bad elves lost again 'cuz the Rangers kicked their ass!"

" _ENOUGH WITH THE PATHETIC ATTEMPT AT MOCKERY!_ " Ragnar shouted, only to earn Sean's cackling laughter.

"I think I hit a nerve!" he laughed. The robot lunged at Sean, who jumped out of the way. The girls ran up to the robot and whacked at it. Sean thrust his knee into the robot's face and it collapsed in front of him.

" _Laugh all you want, Red Ranger_ ," said Ragnar, " _But I have discovered something about your_ precious _Project Ranger_!"

"Yeah, what?" Sean asked.

" _That is for me to know and for you to find out_!" Ragnar replied, the robot grabbing Sean's leg and ripping it out from under him.

"Oh, so that's why he sent the bot," Sean groaned, "To mock us!"

" _EXACTLY_!" Ragnar's voice replied. Hitomi ran up and kicked the robot's head. The robot got back up and advanced on the Pink Ranger. Hitomi danced around the robot, looking for a place to hit. She wound up her leg and kicked the robot right in the back, where the kidneys would be if it was a human.

"Nice kick!" Sean shouted. Two flashes of green and blue, plus a gold flash, appeared just in time. Kevin tackled the robot in the "gut", knocking it down. Ritchie ran up to it and dropped a People's Elbow that would make The Rock proud. "ATTABOY, METOXEN!"

Now it was Daisuke's turn. He ran up to the robot and swung his katana at the enemy. But something was wrong. He was lethargic and slower. The robot capitalized on this and punched him before he could get to the robot. It left the Green Ranger sprawling on the asphalt, katana sliding away. "BROTHER!" Hitomi called out, running forward. She punched the robot again, but it barely stopped the machine.

Maria backed her friend up, kicking the robot. The robot blocked her kick and countered. Maria blocked the kick and countered with her own. The robot fell backwards and was caught by Kevin. He lifted the massive machine up and slammed it to the asphalt.

The robot sat up with little effort. But it was slow to get up and Ritchie kicked the robot's head to keep it down. "Why'd he send a robot?" he asked.

"To mock us," Sean replied. "Face it Ragnar, it won't work!"

" _In due time, it will_ ," Ragnar's voice replied.

"Guess he was still in there," said Maria. The robot got up and noticed it was still surrounded by the Rangers… although Daisuke was still slow to fight. "What's wrong with you, Rich Boy?" she asked.

"I do not know," he replied, but it was an obvious lie. It left him open to a punch from the robot. Now Daisuke was angry. He ran forward and tried to get the robot, but it kneed him in the gut, making him fall down.

"Ah, SHIT!" Sean said. "What the hell is wrong with Rich Boy? Did Jimmy give him a cold or something?" The robot reached out and grabbed Sean's neck, lifted him up and slammed him to the ground. "Me and my big mouth," he choked out.

Kevin threw another hard punch at the robot, knocking it backwards and picking Sean up. "Rich Boy, you alright?"

"No," Daisuke replied, his voice filled with worry and disappointment. Something was wrong, but what it was, they weren't sure. It literally came out of nowhere.

The robot again lunged at Sean and Kevin. The two jumped out of the way to dodge the robot's attack. This couldn't keep going. It had to end ASAP.

"Get your keys out!" Sean ordered. The Rangers pulled them out. He pulled out his Octane Blaster along with Kevin. "Supercharge!" The Rangers jammed their keys into their weapons. "AIM!"

"You are pathetic!" Ragnar's voice taunted from the robot, "Your fate is—"

"FIRE!" The Rangers let off their attacks before Ragnar's voice could finish. The robot jerked around with sparks flying about. It fell to the ground and exploded.

The Rangers ran to safety so they could de-morph. Once that was done, they walked past the scene of the fight, where the robot's wreckage smoldered in the middle of the road. "Damn," said Sean, "We did a number on that one.

"Why was Ragnar asking about Jimmy?" asked Maria.

"Because he wants to kill him," Sean replied matter-of-factly.

"Oh, right," said Maria. "Where is he now?"

"He took my backpack home for his own protection," Sean replied, "I told him to keep an eye out for himself."

"How fast was that?" asked Maria. Hitomi checked her phone.

"About 10 minutes," she replied.

"That short?" Maria asked. "I always thought our fights were longer."

"Well, with robots we're not gonna expect a megazord brawl," said Sean. "Although I kinda think we were a little lackadaisical out there." He turned around and faced Daisuke. "And another thing—what the hell went wrong out there, Rich Boy?"

"Yeah, you just stopped fighting for some reason," said Ritchie. "What's going on?"

Daisuke stopped, still looking down at the pavement. For the first time, Sean saw that Daisuke was not stoic, nor angry. He was not angry at himself, either. In fact, he looked… well, it was an emotion that Sean did not think he would ever see on Daisuke's face. "I cannot stop lying to myself," he said, "I am a mere temporary replacement, after all."

"Brother, what are you saying?" asked Hitomi.

"If I am to be a temporary replacement, then I shall end this on my own terms!" Daisuke replied, "I hereby resign my duties as Green Ranger effective immediately!"

:-:-:-: Power Rangers GPX :-:-:-:

Hitomi VO: "Next time on 'Power Rangers GPX Supercharged'!"

Sean: "YOU'RE QUITTING!?"

Eruvanda: "I have a suggestion."

Maria: "I forgot to tell you something."

Veronica: "I think my cancer wasn't normal."

Ragnar: "Let things unravel on their own."

Sean: "We've got some searching to do."

Hitomi VO: "That's next time on 'Power Rangers GPX Supercharged'!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize if Daisuke's resignation came right the fuck outta nowhere. I'll be perfectly honest that while I do plan things out, sometimes ideas pop in my head and I decide to go with them. This was no exception, and I hope I won't pay for it in the long run. However, thanks to one review from Part 1, I have an idea of what to do. I'll try to explain why Daisuke left in the next part.
> 
> As for why this was so short, it's because I'm kind of getting tired of writing 5,000-word chapters. Believe it or not, it's getting pretty tiring. I'm not saying that I'll never write another 5,000-word chapter, it's just that 5,000 words is a hard target to get to.
> 
> Also, I know cancer is a big issue—my aunt died of cancer this past February—but there's a reason for why Veronica had it. And it (should) be a good one. So PLEASE go easy on me!
> 
> Just, please, send me a review!


	11. Arquen the Green Ranger

Rob VO: "Last time on  _Power Rangers GPX Supercharged!_ "

Eruvanda: "I intend to free my people from Ragnar's grip."

Ingvar: "Intelligence has discovered something…  _interesting_  about Project Ranger."

Veronica: "I had to leave school because I had cancer."

Lee: "Everyone calls me Lee."

Gina: "I know dad told me about hidden elf villages in the woods."

Jimmy: "So will I ever get a morpher?"

Daisuke: "I hereby resign my duties as Green Ranger effective immediately!"

Power Rangers GPX Supercharged, episode 34: Arquen the Green Ranger

:-:-:-: We're the best chance for humanity, Power Rangers G-P-X, let's go! :-:-:-:

Jimmy was right about Daisuke. Being a temporary replacement would indeed make him decide to end his time as a Power Ranger early.

It's just that it seemed like it came right the fuck outta nowhere and nobody saw it coming.

"YOU'RE QUITTING!?" Sean shouted. He'd waited twenty minutes until they'd gotten back to the house and it built up so much that when it finally came up again, Sean could not help but scream. "AGAIN!?"

"Yes," said Daisuke, "I apologize for not making it clear earlier."

"Well you fuckin' should've!" Sean replied. "Why didn't you tell us!?"

"It is a product of my culture," Daisuke replied. Sean's anger dissipated and his face softened. "My father and grandmother told me never to show dissatisfaction with my station."

"Except you bitched about that all the time last year," said Sean.

"This is different," Daisuke replied, "Showing emotion was discouraged in my family. Hitomi is the exception because she is more emotional than I ever could be. But I have known all along that because I was a temporary replacement and Ndebele was to return when he recovered, I would have to resign. But that only made it worse. I also had a suspicion O'Callahan was going to fire me." Sean looked around suspiciously. Was he listening to his and Jimmy's conversation?

"Also, I have been wracked with feelings that perhaps I am not the one for the position," he continued, "And someone else should be Green Ranger."

"I volunteer," Ritchie's hand shot up faster than he skates down the ice.

"Forget it, you're just looking for an excuse to wear Packer paraphernalia," said Kevin.

"You can't prove that!" said Ritchie.

"It's written all of your face," said Kevin.

"Then who, Jimmy?" asked Sean. "He and I already talked about this, replacing one Miyazawa with an O'Callahan is nepotism, which na, na, that's how you got your job."

"You never pass up an opportunity to mock me," said Daisuke.

"You earned it, Rich Boy," said Sean.

"Point taken," said Daisuke.

"You know, I'm actually happy he's saying this," said Maria, "Last time he was a Ranger, he resigned out of shame."

"He's usually a pompous, arrogant and prejudiced bastard," Sean said to Ritchie.

"I saw that," Ritchie deadpanned.

"But who would we replace him with?" asked Hitomi, "We don't have anyone—"

"I have a suggestion," Eruvanda, who was seated on the couch, interrupted while raising her hand, "Oh, apologies. I would like to make a recommendation."

"Yeah, who?" asked Sean.

Eruvanda pointed at the elf seated next to her. Arquen looked around, only to realize she meant him. "ME!?" he asked, "Why me?"

"Yeah, we've already got three white guys: me, Kevin and Rob!" said Sean.

"Well, here is some diversity for you," said Eruvanda, "His  _species_?"

"Oh right, he's not human," said Sean, "Does he count as white?"

"Let's not get into that," said Kevin.

"Got it," said Sean. "But tell me Arquen; what makes you worthy of being a Power Ranger?"

Arquen swallowed hard and glanced at the she-elf he loved. She smiled gently to him and gently laid her hand on his shoulder. There was a silent conversation between the two lovers. Then Arquen nodded and rose to his feet. For the first time in months, the Rangers saw the dignified soldier who fought against them in the early days of the campaign. But now he was on their side. "I am brave, loyal, determined, capable and fierce in battle."

"Are you willing to follow orders from me?" asked Sean.

"I followed orders from my superiors for 20 years," said Arquen.

"And what else?" asked Sean.

"Experience," said Arquen, "I am twice as old as all of you. I know how to fight a Suitroop, elf or any other monster Ragnar sends."

"What else?" Sean asked.

"I am tired of sitting around while you five fight these battles," Arquen continued, "I want in."

"NOW we're talking," said Sean, "Anything else?"

"I want to show the people of Madison that elves and humans can work together," said Arquen.

"And?"

"The look on Ragnar's face when he finds out I am one of the Rangers."

"That's a damn good reason," said Ritchie.

"Alright," said Sean, "You're in!" He extended his hand to shake. Arquen took it, and unable to hide the smile, shook Sean's hand. "We've gone through more Green Rangers than Spinal Tap's gone through drummers."

"Here," Daisuke said, removing his morpher and handing it and the AcceleKey to Arquen.

"Thank you, Daisuke," said Arquen. "What now?"

"That DNA's gotta be reset," said Sean. "It's take until tomorrow for it to be ready."

"I can wait," said Arquen.

"Then we can ask SWORD about the Project Ranger trainees on this campus," said Sean.

"Why didn't you think of that before?" asked Eruvanda.

"We've been busy, it's hard to think about that when you're busy," he replied.

So the Rangers got to work. They contacted SWORD and got into the Project Ranger database for trainees within the Madison area, and the ones who were registered Wisconsin students.

"Alright," said Sean, "Here's the list: There's us and Jimmy, now here's the others: Amir Hussein, Tunis, Tunisia; Angela Martinez, Buenos Aires, Argentina; Hae-Young Li, born in Seoul, but grew up in London—"

"I met her today!" said Hitomi, "She lives in my dorm building!"

"Huh. Whaddaya know?" asked Sean. "Okay, moving on: Dimitri Shevchenko, Kiev, Ukraine!? Shevchenko's a Ranger trainee!"

"What!?" said Ritchie, "You mean—"

"Says so right here!" said Sean. "For the Wisconsinites; Kaitlin Hammond, Eau Claire, Wisconsin; Ja'Marcus Williams, Milwaukee; Neil Frommer, Kenosha; Chris Muller, OshKosh—he's on the football team. Imagine that. James Klein, a local boy; Kaylee Reilly, also a local girl; Veronica Jimenez, Caracas—"

"Wait, Veronica!?" Maria reached and grabbed the piece of paper from Sean, looking it over intently. "I can't believe it," she said, "I never thought—"

"Didn't she go to the same camps as you?" asked Kevin.

"She did," said Maria, "And the same classes as me. It's just that she didn't finish them."

"Huh?"

"Oh, sorry, I forgot to tell you something: Veronica…" she swallowed, her voice starting to crack, "Had bone cancer."

The other Rangers went silent. Their expressions said it all about Maria's revelation. "Oh my god," said Kevin. "That must have been horrible."

"She told me bone cancer is common among young people," said Maria, "And I checked, it's not surprising. Of course, now I feel horrible for not talking to her for so long, I wish I'd known she had cancer, I could've helped her."

"Well, she's here now," Sean said, placing his hand on her shoulder, "Forget the past, you have now to make it up to her."

" _Muchas gracias, precioso_ ," she said.

" _De nada_ ," he replied. "Alright, next chances we get, we're gonna talk to these guys," said Sean. "I think Reilly's in one of my classes tomorrow, I'll have to talk to her."

"Shevchenko's in my English class," said Kevin, "I can talk to him next chance I get. He just started coming back, but he looked rather stressed."

"Yeah, he quit the team," said Ritchie. "Grainger's pissed."

"Maria, I take it you'll talk to Veronica?"

"Of course," she said.

"Alright," said Sean, "It's a big campus and we've got some searching to do. Here are some pictures of these trainees. Carry them with you and if you find any of these people, talk to them and tell them. We're gonna need to make sure Ragnar doesn't hurt them, so warn them about him, too. Don't promise that we'll protect them or that they'll get a morpher, we just need to keep track of 'em, got it?"

" _Got it_!"

"Alright, Arquen;" he turned to the former elf general, "SWORD's gonna forge some documents for you. I don't know if they can get you into UW, but if not, you'll have a driver's license, birth certificate and whatever they use for social security in England, because that's where we're gonna pretend you're from."

"England? Why?"

"That accent," said Sean, "You sound like a Brit."

"I do?" Arquen asked, "And what will my alias be?"

"Well, it's already Arthur," said Sean.

"In Quenya, 'Arquen' means noble," said Kevin. "Is that true, Liz?"

"It is true in our language," said Eruvanda. "I like that name; Arthur Noble."

"It's got a nice ring to it," said Sean. "What do you think, guys?"

"I like it!" said Hitomi.

"Es bueno," Maria added.

"Sounds pretty good," said Ritchie.

"It's perfect," said Kevin.

"Then it is settled," said Arquen, "It is Arthur Noble."

:-:-:-: PRGPX :-:-:-:

The next day, Maria decided to talk to Veronica at lunch. She found her on Facebook and sent her a message, asking her to meet her at one of the dining halls on campus, the Gordon Dining and Events Center on Dayton. It's generally not a good idea to discuss Ranger issues in public. But in a loud dining hall like this, it actually works in Maria's favor. It's loud enough and everyone is so focused on their own conversation that it makes it easier to talk.

Maria noticed Veronica looking around. She raised her hand and gestured for her to come over to the table by the window, which her friend did so. "So, what did you want to talk about with me?" Veronica asked.

"What do you think of the Power Rangers?" Maria asked.

"Isn't it a kids' show?"

"The  _real_  ones," Maria replied, "The ones that have been kicking elven butt for the last several months."

"Oh, right,  _those_ Power Rangers," said Veronica. "Why?"

"What do you know about them?" Maria asked again.

"I think they're doing a great service," said Veronica. "Why do you ask?"

"That's not what I meant," said Maria, "What do you know about them?"

"I know they're here in Madison somewhere," said Veronica, "Although I don't know who they really are."

That was the response Maria was looking for. "They're trainees of a top-secret United Nations super-soldier project," said Maria, "Thousands of kids were trained in martial arts and military strategy, honed into super soldiers, although this was done subtly and without the knowledge of their parents. To them, it was like your average karate class or summer camp. Last May, five young adults our ages came to Tokyo in promise of an internship with the Miyazawa Group.

"It wasn't real. It was a ruse by the UN to get the five top trainees of this Project in one place to stop an alien invasion. You remember that, don't you?"

"Yeah, Orlando, Florida was attacked," said Veronica. "How did you know about this? Did you go on some conspiracy crank's website?"

"No," Maria replied, her voice dead serious. Veronica's smile disappeared. "Veronica, what I'm about to show you is something you cannot tell  _anyone_  about." She put her arm on the table and rolled up her sleeve.

Veronica's eyes widened at the sight of the AcceleMorpher. " _Ay dios mio_ ," she whispered, " _Tu es un Power Ranger_?"

" _Si_ ," Maria replied, "But there's a reason I'm telling you this."

"What is that?" asked Veronica.

"You're in danger," said Maria, "Because you were also trained by Project Ranger."

Veronica was stunned into silence. She barely even noticed Maria sliding a piece of paper to her until Maria made her look down. "That's your profile," she said, "Even though you stopped because of your cancer, you went through enough years to be considered a Project Ranger success."

"What?" Veronica asked.

"The enemy, Ragnar, wants to kill any and all Project Ranger trainees he can find," Maria continued, "Because I and my comrades die, then SWORD—the Strategic Worldwide Organization for Reconnaissance and Defense—can find more of them and fight his attempts to destroy humanity."

"How did you react when you found out?" asked Veronica.

"To be honest, I thought they were full of  _caca_ ," said Maria. Veronica sniggered and Maria laughed. "I'm glad you're feeling better."

" _Gracias_ , Maria," said Veronica.

" _De nada_."

"But… there's also something I wanted to tell you," said Veronica. "I think my cancer wasn't normal."

"What do you mean?" Maria asked.

"Remember when we went to that camp in Florida when we were 15?" Veronica asked, "The one where we saw the alligators?"

"That was a Project Ranger camp," said Maria.

"About 6 months after that, I had some pain in my knee," Veronica continued, "That was the bone cancer. My doctors told me that bone cancer usually isn't caused by anything, it's sort of spontaneous. But I think something caused it."

"We can't know for certain," said Maria. "… My boyfriend likes to see the evidence first."

"Ah. That's a good philosophy."

"You probably won't be able to become a Power Ranger," said Maria, "But be careful. You could be attacked at any moment… even if they seem to know our class schedule which is… kind of weird."

"I'll be careful," Veronica said with a smile. Maria couldn't help but be proud of her friend.

"I just wish you'd told me about this cancer," she said.

"Are you angry?"

"Yes," Maria replied, "But I'm still glad you're alive."

"Cancer can't beat me," Veronica said with a confident smile, "You'd have to shoot be to kill me."

"That's my Veronica," said Maria. "We're also looking for the others. My boyfriend's cousin is also a Ranger trainee and we've found a few others on campus. I've been looking for them on Facebook and the university directory when I can."

"And when di/d you start?" asked Veronica.

"Last night," Maria replied. She started to laugh. "I was only able to request someone on Facebook. Her name's Angelica, she's from Argentina."

" _Argentinos son pujos_ ," Veronica laughed, earning a slap on the shoulder from Maria. "Sorry, sorry, sorry."

"Sorry, just a little my stressed. The hockey leaves for a road game in St. Cloud, Minnesota tonight."

"Oh," said Veronica. "And how worried should I be?"

"Don't," said Maria, "We'll take care of things."

"Thanks," said Veronica.

"Since you've been told, I can inform you that Professor Fox is an elf," said Maria.

"No way," Veronica replied.

"His real name is Rusco," Maria continued, "He defected almost 20 years ago once Ragnar rose to power. His daughter is helping us out and is great friends with our Pink Ranger."

"Knowing you, you probably don't think they're just friends," Veronica chided.

"We've got more important things to worry about," said Maria.

"Like what?" Veronica asked.

An explosion ripped through one of the buildings east of them on Dayton, shaking the building, sending glasses and silverware to the ground. "That!" Maria replied. "You get to safety, I have to go!"

"I'm not sticking around!" Veronica said wisely.

"That's what I want to hear!" Maria said. The building was evacuated safely, and Maria slipped away down Dayton.

The hotel was on fire. Anyone within viewing distance knew that this was no accident. A robotic figure moved in the smoke and wreckage, looking down at the pathetic humans out on the street. It picked up a charred body and tossed it out the hole in the hotel.

Maria ran up to the hotel, now morphed. She cursed when she saw that the robot was inside the hotel while snapping her fingers. Much of the south side of the hotel was engulfed in flames. It almost looked like something had taken a bite out of it.

The robot lifted its arm up and pointed it at Maria. She jumped out of the way as the robot fired a missile at her. She pulled out her blaster and let off a couple shots. But the robot was so high up that it was impossible for her to hit it. "Damn," she muttered.

It wasn't long before she got reinforcements. Arquen ran up to her, dressed in one of Sean's leather jackets and Ritchie's Packers beanie. "I was supposed to morph before I arrived, was I not?" he asked.

"Yep," she replied. "But I don't mind right now."

Arquen looked up at the robot inside the smoldering hole in the hotel. "Not a problem," he said. He pulled up his sleeve and got the AcceleKey out. He displayed the morpher on his wrist and called to the robot, "If you are watching Ragnar, I want you to know that you are a threat not only to humans, but elves as well! And as such, I dedicate myself to defeating you!"

"Was that necessary?" Maria asked.

"GPX, Start it up!" Arquen declared, thrusting the AcceleKey into the Morpher. He was engulfed by a flash of green and morphed into the third GPX Green Ranger.

:-:-:-: Power Rangers GPX :-:-:-:

"I see you are committing the worst form of treason, Arquen," Ragnar said at the monitor, leaning back in his chair, "I expected this as soon as you left. But let things unravel on their own and you will see that you were in the wrong from the beginning."

:-:-:-: PRGPX :-:-:-:

This kind of power was unimaginable to Arquen. He felt a rush of adrenaline coursing through his arteries and his strength multiplying ten-fold. Is this what it was like to be a Power Ranger? To have your abilities pushed beyond your expectations and limits? "Oh dear God," he breathed, "This is incredible! Is this what it felt like the first time you transformed?"

"I don't think that's how I'd describe it," Maria said, her smile obvious underneath the visor. "Now then. Let's get to work! The others will be here soon, and we've got to get that  _puto_  out of the hotel!"

"What weapon should I use?" Arquen asked.

"That blaster on your hip," Maria replied.

"This one?" Arquen asked. "Do you want me to shoot that robot?"

"I already tried! It's impossible!" Maria replied.

"You forget, I have over 20 years of experience with firearms," Arquen replied confidently. He pointed the blaster at the robot and shot it twice. The robot jerked as sparks flew from it and it fell onto the garage.

"Don't get cocky," Maria replied. She jumped up onto the garage roof and grabbed the robot, tossing it over the side and onto the street. Arquen twirled the blaster in his hands and shot the robot twice more. Maria jumped off the garage roof, summoning her Haz Daggers and thrusting them into robot's head.

Well, that's what she aimed for. Instead, she timed it that she thrust them into its back. She still got what she wanted and began jerking the daggers around. The robot jerked around as well, but Maria's blades were embedded too far into it to just dislodge now. And with the robot distracted by Maria's blades, Arquen converted the Octane Blaster into the GP Saber (after the HUD told him how to do it).

He took a might slash at the robot, throwing sparks in the air and thrust the sword into it, knocking it backwards. Maria pulled one of the daggers out and stabbed the robot's chest.

"Excellent work, Yellow!" Arquen declared.

" _Muchas gracias, Verde_!" she replied.

"De nada!" he replied, having pick up a little Spanish from being around her all these months.

The robot stood back up. It had analyzed their attack and now it was not going to go down so easily. Maria charged the robot. It blocked her dagger thrust and countered. Arquen tried to follow up, but the robot kicked him away. It grabbed Maria and tossed her over to where Arquen was. The Venezuelan Yellow Ranger collided with the Elven Green Ranger, but there was no injury.

Undeterred, they got back up and put their dukes up as the robot advanced on them. The next thing they knew, blue, red, gold and pink flashes struck the " _Hola, precioso_ ," Maria sang.

"Hey, babe!" Sean replied, "This bastard giving you any trouble?"

"At first," she replied, "But I think we hit the jackpot with Arquen!"

"Just what I wanted to hear!" said Sean. Arquen could already tell that the trust and bond between Sean and Maria was so strong, her fighting alongside him, all alone, was fine with Sean. "Alright, let's get this fucker away from the hotel so the Fire Department can do its job!"

Kevin and Arquen nodded to each other and ran forward, pushing the robot away from the still-burning hotel. They moved it east, then northeast down Dayton. They pushed the robot down. It got back up, but found itself surrounded by the GPX Rangers.

Ritchie swung the Gold Axe at the robot. It got out of the way and knocked the Oneida Rocket aside. Sean was right behind Ritchie, kicking the robot in the head. He ducked and Ritchie punched the robot in the head. Arquen raised his blaster and shot the robot twice. It spun and tried to attack him, but Maria and Hitomi, in a perfectly synchronized and executed effort, kicked the robot.

The robot stumbled, but caught itself as Kevin through a punch at it. Kevin missed and quickly turned, his feet still spread apart but firm. He took his right leg and roundhouse kicked the robot as it turned to face him.

The robot threw a punch at Kevin. Kevin jumped out of the way and Ritchie rushed in to punch the robot in the face. The robot threw another punch at the Rangers. Sean and Hitomi caught the arm and held it tightly.

"So, Hitomi," Sean said while straining to keep the robot in place, "How's Aamir?"

"Um, fine, I guess," she said. "I haven't talked to him in a week."

"WHAT!?" Sean asked, "Why not?"

"I don't know," she said, "I'm just not—" PUNCH! "—Feeling it with him."

"Ah, that's a shame," Sean said while kicking the robot, "I thought you two had a connection."

"I guess not," Hitomi replied.

"Would it be cliché to say there's plenty of fish in the sea?" Ritchie asked after tripping the robot up.

"GUYS! FOCUS." Arquen said firmly.

"Hey! Who's in charge here?" Sean asked.

"Apologies!" Arquen replied.

"Apology accepted," he said before punching the robot. He grabbed the machine and shoved it to his girlfriend. She twirled her daggers, thrust them into the robot and kicked it to the ground.

The robot struggled to get up. Sparks flew from the damaged circuits as the robot struggled to get back up. "It's time to end this!" Sean said while drawing his Octane Blaster. "Get your keys out! It's time to Supercharge!"

The Rangers—save for Ritchie—pulled their keys out. Following their example, Arquen did the same. They jammed their keys into their weapons and pointed it at the struggling robot. "Ready! Aim! FIRE!" The Rangers shot the robot, throwing sparks and fires around. The robot shuddered one more time before falling to the ground, exploding.

Sean walked up to Arquen, deactivated his helmet and patted the elf on the shoulder. "Not bad for a first fight as a Ranger," he said.

"Thank you very much," Arquen said when he deactivated his helmet.

"And I'll bet Liz is going to like that look," Maria said with a raised eyebrow. Arquen blushed.

"And now Ragnar's got an even bigger problem on his hand than just us," said Sean.

"I can only imagine what will happen once Tiris tells the student revolutionaries," said Ritchie. "Think it'll help?"

"I can only assume," said Arquen. "But if it helps in any way, I will gladly be a Ranger until Ndebele is fit to return."

"Well, it's bit late, but we shoulda made you Green Ranger earlier," said Sean. "Better late than never, right?"

"Right," said Arquen.

"Come on, let's go home. Metoxen and I have to leave for St. Cloud tonight."

:-:-:-: Power Rangers GPX :-:-:-:

Ritchie VO: "Next time, on  _Power Rangers GPX Supercharged_!"

Sean: "I take it you told her?"

Ragnar: "So, thought you could beat me?"

Hitomi: "Aamir, I have to tell you something."

Gina: "I got it!"

Ragnar: "Give up now!"

Maria: "NO!"

Ritchie VO: "That's next time on Power Rangers GPX Supercharged!"


	12. La Muerte de una Amiga

Sean VO: "Last time, on  _Power Rangers GPX Supercharged_!"

Daisuke: "I have known all along that because I was a temporary replacement, I would have to resign."

Eruvanda: "I would like to make a recommendation."

Arquen: "I am tired of sitting around while you five fight these battles. I want in."

Sean: "You're in!"

Sean: "If you find any of these people, talk to them and tell them."

Maria: (To Veronica) "You were also trained by Project Ranger."

Power Rangers GPX Supercharged, episode 35: La Muerte de una Amiga

:-:-:-: We're the best chance for humanity, Power Rangers G-P-X, let's go! :-:-:-:

Maria woke up the morning of March 2nd with an ill feeling. Why she did, she didn't know, but since Sean didn't believe in precognition and she didn't either, she knew that her boyfriend would not believe her if she said that's what happened.

But that feeling in the pit of her stomach wasn't right. And while precognition does not exist in real life, or in this universe, something bad was going to happen.

She got out of bed without disturbing Sean and readjusted her pajama pants before going to go use the restroom. When she came out, Sean was seated up in bed, his t-shirt a little bunched up and wearing his old Lincoln Park High School gym shorts. "Morning, babe," he said while rubbing his disheveled hair and AJ's head.

"Morning," she replied.

"You okay?" he asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine," she replied.

"You sure?" he asked. His look bored into her like a drill. She turned away to avoid it. "Sorry. By the way, I forgot to ask, but did you talk to Veronica?"

"Of course," Maria replied.

"So I take it you told her?"

"I did," she replied.

"Great!" Sean replied, jumping out of bed.

"Why are you so excited?" she asked.

"Hockey playoffs start in two days!" Sean replied, "We play Colorado College this weekend!"

"I know you guys will win," said Maria. "I have a test today and Prof. Fox said that Angelica is in one of his classes. I'll have to talk to that Argentine."

"Sounds perfect," he said. "By the way, your nationalism is showing again."

"It's a South American thing," she said. He scoffed. "Besides, you and Jimmy argue over the US and Canada all the time."

"I have my reasons," he replied.

A few minutes later, they came downstairs to see everyone—Eruvanda and Arquen included—seated at the breakfast table. Daisuke was still living with them. He had no other place to go and it only seemed right for them to keep him there. What's past is past, obviously. Arquen and Eruvanda sat together. She was certainly happy to see him in his Ranger uniform, in more ways than one.

Aaron and Kevin also sat together. Aaron was walking with a cane now. It would only be a matter of time before he would rejoin the team, taking his rightful place as Green Ranger.

"So how's everyone doing today?" Sean asked, grabbing a box of Lucky Charms, "I've got a feeling it's gonna be pretty good today." Maria smiled and laughed.

After today, Sean would never take that smile and laughter for granted again.

:-:-:-: PRGPX :-:-:-:

"I really think you should do this, Commander," said Ingvar.

"And why should I?" Ragnar asked, "When it is not needed to begin with?"

"Because—"

"Because what, Ingvar?" Ragnar interrupted, "I have no intention of giving the Rangers motivation for anything."

"But there is a Project Ranger trainee just waiting for us to kill them!" said Ingvar, "We could use it as a way to—"

"Not until I have a very good reason to do it," Ragnar interrupted again, "We are already behind schedule, I do not need another distraction!"

"But now that Arquen has joined their pitiful ranks, perhaps now would be a good time to send a message to him," said Ingvar.

Ragnar turned to disagree, but he stopped and thought for a moment. "Wait… AH! Of course! A message to anyone who dares oppose us? Both within and out of Alfheim? That is a better idea than I suspected at first!"

"Thank you, Ragnar!" Ingvar replied, "Shall I go myself?"

"Go ahead," said Ragnar, "But I shall come with you. The Power Rangers need to be put in their place."

:-:-:-: Power Rangers GPX :-:-:-:

Hitomi got back from class at about 10:14 AM. Gina had sent her an e-mail earlier, but she had not had a chance to read it just yet, so she was in a bit of a hurry to get back to her dorm and reply to her best friend. However, she also wanted to get a hold of Aamir and tell him that it was time to end their (very) short relationship.

It just wasn't working out. Despite having a lot of things in common with him, Hitomi just could not figure out how it could work.

She was interrupted when someone bumped her while running through the hallway. She turned and almost yelled at the person. But then she recognized the person's face. "Oi!" she said, grabbing the girl by the arm, "You're Lee, aren't you?"

"Uh, yeah?" the Korean-English girl asked as if it was a stupid question, "Why?"

"I have something I need to tell you," Hitomi said. She led the other girl to her own room and looked to see if Karen was in there. No, she wasn't, she had a class right about now. Perfect!

Hitomi closed the door and locked it. "Gomen nasai," the retail heiress said, "But there is something important I need to tell you."

"Uhhhh… what?"

"Do you know about the Power Rangers?" Hitomi asked.

"Are you a nutter?" Lee asked, "Of course I fuckin' do!"

Her mouth reminded her of Sean. "Don't tell anyone, but—" Hitomi pulled her sleeve up and displayed her morpher. Lee looked at it for a moment and then back at Hitomi.

"What are you doing?" she asked, "I don't know you! Why are you showing this to me?"

"Because we have something in common," Hitomi replied, walking towards her desk and pulling something out. She handed the papers to Lee.

"What is this?" the Korean-English woman asked.

"Your Project Ranger files," said Hitomi, "You were trained by a top-secret United Nations program that well, trained, super soldiers."

This was all so sudden for Lee, and Hitomi could see it. "If you need to leave, you can," said Hitomi, "Just don't. Tell. ANYONE." Hitomi could be serious when she wanted to be, and she gave Lee a scary look just to drive the point home.

"Okay!" Lee said. "By the way, what's your name again?"

"Hitomi. Hitomi Miyazawa."

"Bloody hell!" Lee said, "You're a Miyazawa!?"

"Nice to meet you!" Hitomi said with a smile. Lee, still shocked, back out of Hitomi's room—with Hitomi's help and stumbled back to her own dorm room. She probably didn't need to tell Lee that in the first place.

But she remembered Gina's e-mail and—oh, right Aamir! Might as well get it out of the way. She pulled her phone out and called Aamir up. She waited for several moments before she got his voicemail. "Hello, Aamir, it's Hitomi. I have to tell you something. Call me back as soon as you can, okay? Bye!" She hung up.

After logging in, she found the e-mail. It read:

_Dear Hitomi,_

_I got it! I got the info you might need… kinda. My dad said he didn't know for certain, but one of his elf friends told him there are rumors of elves living in their own communities in the woods, like in the Shawnee Forest in Illinois, the UP and here in Wisconsin, like the_ _Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest. Although, I don't know why they'd be in Madison._

_Also, I heard you recovered from your concussion! That's great news! I was so worried about you, my mom got worried about me. I was so afraid of losing you. Sorry if I sound silly, but you've been the best friend I've ever had. I'll try and see if those rumors about the Hidden Elves are true. See you soon!_

_Love,_

_Gina_

Hitomi nearly blushed when she finished reading the e-mail. She knew Gina was worried, but that was unexpected! But now she had to send this info to Maria, who would talk to Prof. Fox.

:-:-:-: Power Rangers GPX :-:-:-:

Maria did get the e-mail and she would talk to Rusco as soon as the class was over. The class today felt like a blur, but it wasn't anything Prof. Fox was doing. Usually he was a very good teacher and it never felt too dull or too quick. And he knew how to challenge his students' previous-held beliefs, whether they were liberal, conservative, libertarian or socialist (although recently, he's been giving it to the conservatives and libertarians more than the liberals).

Once class was over, she lingered while everyone else left. Prof. Fox saw Maria's intentions and also lingered, pretending to look at some papers. When the other students were gone, Maria got up from her seat and walked up to Prof. Fox. "I take it you got Gina's e-mail?" he asked.

"Of course," Maria replied quietly, "What can you tell me?"

"Come with me," Rusco replied. The two left the classroom. "I want you to know ahead of time the information I'm going to give you is not concrete evidence, nor is it all mine. I asked around my network of defected elves who may have some idea."

"What can you tell me?" she asked.

"First off, nobody is certain whether they exist or not," said Rusco, "But there are sightings of elves within wooded areas in Wisconsin, Minnesota, Alberta, Scandinavia and even the Amazon. To be fair, these forests are good places to hide, especially the Amazon."

"I'm not surprised," Maria said.

"The sightings usually have something in common: Those wood elves are more… 'flighty' than your typical elf, and that's saying something," said Rusco.

"Kevin told me that in Tolkien's books, wood elves are a little more… xenophobic," said Maria.

"Wouldn't surprise me," said Rusco, "Especially since rural folk in general tend to be more fiercely independent than city folk."

"Tell me about it," she said, remembering an incident over Winter Break up near Green Bay.

"Sorry," Rusco laughed. "Continue.

"Is there anything else you can tell me about these wood elves?" Maria asked.

"Only that they're near impossible to track down," said Rusco. "Not even our cloaking device blockers are useful."

"So you're drawing a blank," said Maria.

"Not at all," said Rusco, "Words can have different meanings. When I said 'person', I meant humans. I know and other elves know about them. I have a friend who lives up near the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest, who came from an elven confederation up there. They have had their own battles to deal with, and it has brought more unwanted attention to them. Now tell me; what would Queen Eruvanda want with them?"

"Probably so that she can use them to re-take Alfheim," said Maria. "I think Liz said something about that, but I'm not positive."

"That makes sense," said Rusco, "I doubt they would like Ragnar to begin with. But I also doubt that they want to get involved in Alfheim's affairs as they are an independent state. And I can't help but laugh that you used the name 'Liz'. I never thought I'd see the day that someone would call the Elf-Queen by such an informal name."

"We've gotten to know her real well," said Maria, "And Arquen joined our team."

"Oh, he did?" Rusco asked, "Good for him! I'll bet he's excited."

"He's thrilled," Maria replied.

"As he should be," said Rusco. "So, how is Hitomi? I understand she had a concussion."

"She's doing better," said Maria, "Some monster threw her against a tree."

"Ouch, that's not fun," said Rusco, "Gina was visibly upset when she came back home on Monday. Don't worry, I told her to stay away from your battles from now on."

"I appreciate it," said Maria, "And I appreciate whatever help you can give us."

"I do what I can," said Rusco, "Anything to stop Ragnar and his goons."

"Perfect," said Maria, "And if you have any news on him, I'd like to hear that, too."

"I haven't heard anything," said Rusco, "He's very good at securing his communications, I learned first-hand."

"Damn," said Maria. "Thanks anyways."

"You're welcome," said Rusco. Maria turned and left, feeling either satisfied that she got some information or disappointed that she didn't get enough.

Once she'd left the building, she sent Sean a text telling him that Rusco didn't have much information that was useful.

This was harder than she thought. " _Oi,_  Maria!" Of course, things got a little more relaxing now.

" _Hola_ , Veronica," she said as Veronica ran up to her, "I didn't expect to see you."

"I was just passing by and I saw you," said Veronica, "Do you want to get some lunch, or…"

"Lunch would be nice," said Maria, "Nothing from that empanadas place, though. I don't like them."

"Then how about that new hibachi place?" Veronica asked.

"Bueno," Veronica said, "I'll bet I'll be the first one there!"

"You're on!" The two women raced towards the hibachi cart on State Street, just like old times. It would be the last time.

Sean got out of the communications building, smiling at the high marks his latest journalism paper got. His professor said that his prose, which was sloppy earlier in the year, had gotten better. He'd still gotten a B, though. Considering he'd just started on this major in January, it was good progress. Hopefully once he does summer school he'll be able to improve.

He made his way to Library Mall to get some grub before heading home and getting ready for practice. He was in the mood for some hibachi, too.

It was the moment he cross the mall and onto State Street when he heard the familiar crackling of the elven teleportation. "Right on time," he said, taking his backpack off and handing it to a SWORD agent who just happened to walk casually past him.

The Library Mall crowds also knew what was going on and started to scatter, this time in an orderly fashion. The food carts closed up shop just as Maria and Veronica got to the front of the line. "Oh, for fuck's—" Maria stopped when she saw the crackling lightning and the Suitroops appearing in the Mall. "Veronica, run. RUN!"

Veronica didn't need to be told a second time. She took off running down State Street.

Maria took out a bandana and covered her face. "GPX, Start it up!" She morphed and ran over to Sean, who's already done that and was in the midst of summoning his GT Sword.

"You ready, babe?" he asked.

"Ready as always,  _precioso_ ," she replied. Sean saluted the incoming Suitroops and got to work.

He swung his sword, chopping a Suitroop's head off. He followed that up, swinging upwards, blocking an energy staff strike, threw the staff of and thrust the sword into the Suitroop. He took a couple big swings and chopped some more Suitroops to pieces. He jumped, brought his right leg forward as though he was about to kick, and then thrust his sword into two Suitroops, a sword-wielding version of a Superman punch.

Maria stabbed a Suitroop in the neck, pulled the dagger out and stabbed its visor. She kicked the Suitroop away. Another Suitroop ran up to her. She ducked and when she stood back up, she threw the Suitroop away. She punched another Suitroop and kicked it in the chin. She spun on her left foot, kicking a number of Suitroops out of the crowd. She took both daggers and thrust them into a Suitroop. The robot shuddered and fell.

It didn't take long before reinforcements arrived. The first to arrive was Arquen. He'd already gained his new weapon, a sword based off the elvish designs from the  _Lord of the Rings_  movies. It was fine with him, he showed great skill with the blade. He tore the Suitroops to shreds, moving so quickly they did not have a chance against his blade skills. He thrust, swung, and clubbed his sword at the Suitroops. He moved gracefully, like an elven ballet dancer-turnede martial artist.

Sean and Maria broke away from the Suitroops and joined up back-to-back. "I'm glad he's on our side now," said Maria.

"Yep," Sean replied. It's not every day Power Rangers have an elf on their side, especially when he used to be an enemy. "HEY! We're a team y'know, it might be a good idea to WORK AS ONE!"

"Apologies!" Arquen replied, "I was just, as you humans say, 'getting the hang of this'!" Sean cackled.

"He's got snark, too! I like it!" he said.

The other Rangers followed soon after. Ritchie embedded the blade of his axe into the back of the first Suitroop he came across. He took it out and swung the axe into another Suitroop, this time in the neck. Ripping the axe out, he kicked a Suitroop in the chin, then spun and swung his axe into a Suitroop's head. He kicked another Suitroop in the chest, forcing it backwards and into another crowd of Suitroops.

Hitomi blocked a Suitroop energy staff with her own Am Staff. She spun the staff and thrust the blade of the naginata-like weapon into the chest of another Suitroop. She lifted the Suitroop up and threw it several feet in the air, and it final came crashing down onto the pavement. A Suitroop ran up and tried to hit her. She ducked and whacked it with the blunt end of the Am Staff, then thrust the blade into the Suitroop's back.

Kevin's fist met with the fist of a Suitroop. The robot must've been programmed to feel pain, because it pulled its hand back. Kevin punched the Suitroop in the visor, knocking it back. A Suitroop attempted to punch him, but he elbowed it in the visor, too. He pivoted and kneed the Suitroop in the chin. He spun and kicked another Suitroop, knocking its head off. He grabbed a Suitroop and shoved it away from him.

Sean and Maria were busy cleaning up a few vestiges of Suitroop resistance. With both of them working together, it was nearly impossible for the Suitroops to defeat them. Sean stepped out of the way as a Suitroop rushed him. Maria thrust her dagger into the Suitroop's visor.

"Every single day they show up at the same time!" she groaned.

"At least they're punctual," Sean replied. He thrust the GT Sword into the enemy. "Come on, is this all?"

"Never tempt fate, Red Ranger!"

Sean turned and was about to swing his sword. But he stopped.

Ingvar and Ragnar had shown up in the Library Mall. And Ingvar was holding Veronica with an energy staff to her neck.

"VERONICA!" Maria screamed, lunging at Ingvar. But Sean stopped her from making any mistakes.

"Drop your weapons, Rangers!" Ragnar ordered, "Or else she dies."

"Do what he says," Sean ordered quietly and tossing the GT Sword to the ground. Maria did the same, followed by Arquen, then Hitomi and Ritchie. Then the Rangers dropped their blasters to the ground, as well. "Now what, Ragnar?" he asked.

"Give up now, Arquen!" Ragnar declared, "And face Elven justice for the treason you have committed! You might get off if you confess to your sins!"

Arquen laughed. "Surrender?" he asked, retracting his helmet. He gave Ragnar the most defiant look the elf commander had ever seen and said, "Why should I? When all I know you are going to do is put me on a meaningless show trial, then throw me into prison to rot and be tortured for the rest of my life!? Or perhaps one of your so-called 're-education' camps, a fine name for a truly hellish prison!"

"So, you thought you could beat me?" Ragnar laughed.

"They have brainwashed you, Arquen!" Ingvar replied, "Come with us and you can see the light once again!"

"I have already seen the light!" Arquen snapped back, "And I have made my decision! My loyalty lies with the planet itself and I will NOT sit idly by while you threaten every living being on this world, human, elf, or otherwise, for your bigoted, so-called 'crusade'. Saving the world? You are an even bigger threat to this planet than the humans you hate!"

"YOU TELL 'IM, ARQUEN!" Sean shouted while the others cheered.

"YOU ARE A FOOL, ARQUEN!" Ingvar roared, "A TRAITOROUS FOOL!"

"Says the tyrant's right-hand man!" Arquen replied, "What other lies are your propagandists feeding the people? I have seen humanity with my own eyes! They are flawed, but they are only human! For every rotten human on this planet, there are thousands of good, selfless humans willing to do what it takes to do the right thing! And I have chosen to fight alongside six of the bravest humans you will ever see!"

"Are you saying you will not negotiate over the life of this hostage!?" Ingvar roared.

"We'll NEVER negotiate with terrorist scum like you!" Sean replied.

"TERRORIST!?" Ingvar roared, "HOW DARE YOU REFER TO US AS THAT, YOU SORRY EXCUSE FOR A LIFEFORM!"

"Using violence and fear to accomplish your aims? Yeah, I'd say that makes you a terrorist!" Sean replied.

"And what do you know about that?" Ingvar replied, "You use violence to stop us!"

"Sometimes, you have to fight if you want peace," said Sean, "And we want peace with the elves. We're not the enemy, and Queen Liz knows that. The only way we'll save the world in the long run is by working together as fellow earthlings. In the short run, well, I'd say you have an early run-in with the coroner!"

Ragnar laughed. "You will not kill us, Red Ranger," he said, "Just like you will not do anything to save your fellow Project Ranger trainee!"

"I don't care!" Veronica replied, "I know they'll save me! I'm their friend!"

"How?" Ragnar asked, "They cannot do anything!"

" _There's a police sniper climbing up onto the roof of the library_ ," a transmission said into Sean's in-helmet earpiece, " _Just keep them busy_."

"You sure about that?" Sean replied, "Remember, we've pulled off some impressive tricks before!"

"Do not be so confident!" Ingvar replied, "It might get you in trouble!"

The police sniper found his way to the top of the Memorial Library and set up shop there. He aimed his rifle at Ingvar, his crosshairs leaving Veronica out of the way. "The sniper is in position," the SWORD agent said into Sean's ear.

"Keep talking," he said to Maria.

"Hurt my friend, and I'll make you pay tenfold!" Maria declared.

"Gracias!" Veronica replied.

"Have the sniper miss on purpose," said Sean, "We'll handle Santa's Little Helpers."

"Got it," the SWORD agent replied.

The sniper changed his position. He was now pointing the rifle at the ground behind Ingvar. He pulled the trigger.

The sound of the gun blast and the bullet hitting the pavement startled Ingvar. Veronica stomped on the elf's foot, then whacked him with the back of her head. Ingvar shouted in surprise and let Veronica go.

"RUN!" Maria shouted. Veronica took off towards Bascom Hill.

Ragnar pulled out an energy staff and aimed it at Veronica. He pulled the trigger.

For Maria, time seemed to stop. While Sean and the others lunged at Ragnar and Ingvar, she watched as Ragnar's shot struck Veronica in the back. The other woman screamed in pain, her body twisting in the air. Time seemed to come back to normal as Veronica hit the ground. " _ **VERONICAAA**_!" Maria screamed.

Sean thrust his sword at Ragnar, who jumped out of the way and blocked Sean's attacks. Arquen could see Maria running over to Veronica's still form. "Maria!" he shouted.

Maria reached Veronica's still form and pulled her helmet off. She pulled Veronica's still form onto her back and shook her. "Veronica! VERONICA!" Her voice shook. Veronica was still, her eyes wide. Maria tried to use CPR on her. "Come on, PLEASE! You can't die! VERONICA!"

"Maria!" Arquen shouted. He ran over and put his gloved hand on Veronica's neck. Then, he moved his hand and gently closed Veronica's eyelids. "I am so sorry," he said, his voice quivering, "But the blast of an energy staff is fatal on contact."

Maria's heart stopped. Her quivering hands gripped Veronica's jacket, and tears flowed out of her eyes. "No… no, no, no,  _ **NNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO**_!" Her loud, anguished scream echoed in the air.

The Rangers stopped their attack and looked. Maria was hunched over Veronica's body while Arquen stood up. "Oh, no," Sean breathed.

"Is she dead?" Ragnar asked, "Good! One less human in this world!"

"I knew you were remorseless, Ragnar!" Arquen shouted, "This only confirms it!"

"Maria," Sean whispered, running over to his wailing girlfriend's side. "Maria!" He grabbed her and tried to hug her, but she was beside herself in agonized grief.

"That human scum deserved to die!" Ingvar declared, "Just like the rest of you!"

Maria's grief changed. "Maria? Babe?" Sean asked, gripping her as her face contorted in anger. She whipped her head around, glaring at Ragnar and Ingvar.

"YOU BASTARD!" she screamed, "I'LL KILL YOU MYSELF IF I HAVE TO!"

"MARIA!" Sean shouted, holding onto his aggrieved beloved. "Maria, please, honey, stop!" The tears soaked into his voice as well. "I love you, I don't want to see you like this!"

"LET ME GO! I WANT TO KILL HIM!"

"We must depart," said Ragnar. He and Ingvar teleported away as Hitomi tried to hit them.

But the damage had been done. A dead friend lay on the ground in Library Mall, and Maria, beside herself with grief, cried and cried and cried. Sean gently lowered her to the ground and held her close to him, crying for her and her friend. "I'm so sorry," he said tearfully, "I'm so, SO sorry."

For the first time, the Rangers had lost something important—a friend.

:-:-:-: PRGPX :-:-:-:

Kevin VO: "Next time, on  _Power Rangers GPX Supercharged_!"

Maria: "He's going to pay."

Sean: "What would Veronica say?"

Hitomi: "We're done."

Kevin: "I need to talk to you."

Dimitri: "What do you need?"

Maria: "Rest in power, Veronica."

Kevin VO: "That's next time, on  _Power Rangers GPX Supercharged_!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh, boy. Um… I am so, SO sorry I did this. I am SO sorry for what I have done in this chapter. I know you probably didn't know Veronica well enough, and I know she wasn't as fleshed out as she could have, but… goddammit.
> 
> But I'd been planning something like this ever since my aunt died in February of last year (and my grandpa died just a few days ago), and that really affected me. This is what happens when real life influences your writing. And a famous journalist who I really looked up to, died the morning I finished this, which kind of influenced the whole mood of the chapter. I swear things will get better in the long run.
> 
> So please, tell me what you think!


	13. In Honor of Veronica

Arquen: "Previously, on  _Power Rangers GPX Supercharged_!"

Sean: "I've got a feeling it's gonna be pretty good today."

Ragnar: "The Power Rangers need to be put in their place."

Hitomi: "You were trained by a top-secret United Nations program."

Rusco: "There are sightings of elves within wooded areas."

Ragnar: "Give up now, Arquen!"

Arquen: "Why should I?"

( _Ragnar kills Maria's friend Veronica_ )

Maria: " _ **NNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO**_!"

Power Rangers GPX Supercharged, episode 36: In Honor of Veronica

:-:-:-: We're the best chance, for humanity, Power Rangers G-P-X, let's go! :-:-:-:

If Maria could have returned to Venezuela to attend the funeral of her best friend Veronica Jimenez, she would have. But she could not. And ever since her best friend was mercilessly killed by Ragnar, she was beside herself in grief.

She cried all night the night Veronica died, and started crying, albeit more softly and struggling, when she woke up. Eventually, she stopped, but the death of her best friend had impacted her.

The other Rangers didn't know Veronica that well. But they couldn't bear to see her in such a grieving state, Sean especially. He hated seeing the woman he loved in such a sad state. He loved her liveliness and this was about as far from it as possible. She was a woman in touch with her emotions, an admirable part of anyone's personality. But still…

She was suffering.

And Sean wanted it to stop. Okay, maybe that's not the right word. He wanted her to feel better.

So he walked up to her seated at the table, looking at a picture of her and Veronica. The emotions in her face were enough to tell him everything. He opened his mouth. But nothing came out. He wasn't sure what to say. He tried again, but couldn't think of a single word.

He'd never had anyone close to him die before. He had no way to know what she was going through.

But he remembered that his dad talked a lot about his favorite memories of his friends who were killed in the line of duty. That might work. "So, um… what's your favorite memory of her?" he asked.

"What?" she asked.

"Well, I didn't know her, so… I just want to hear you talking about her."

"Is that the best you can do?" she asked, "My best friend just died—"

"Look, I don't know what to say to someone whose friend has died, alright?" he asked, "But this is what my dad did when his friends were killed."

"Oh," she said, "I'm sorry for my outburst. It actually reminds me of this time when she yelled at…" she told him at length about a time in her life when Veronica yelled at a man who was being rude during a funeral. It ended up turning into a funny story about how Veronica got mad at someone during a Leones game that had Sean trying desperately not to laugh too hard.

"Oh my god!" he said, struggling to keep his breath.

"What's so funny?" she asked.

"Your story!" he replied, "She sounds like an amazing woman!"

"Yeah, she was," said Maria, "I just wish…"

"Please," Sean said, "I'm trying to help."

"I know you are," she said. "But you're not doing a good job."

"I know that," he replied, "But I love you and I want you to smile again."

"Do you want me to cover up all my emotions with a fake smile?"

"Oh, GOD no!" he replied, "You're a woman in touch with your emotions! I love that about you! It's just…" he tried to think of something else to say. "What would Veronica say if she saw you like this?"

"She would… not be happy with me," she said, "She'd tell me that I should stop feeling sorry for myself… huh. I think I just realized something."

"What?" he asked.

"That I'm being selfish for moping too much," she said.

"Come on, your best friend died," he said, "That's a natural reaction."

"I know," she said, "But I shouldn't let this get to me too much. Everyone dies at some point, and they would want us to keep on living. And besides, I have all of you."

"Exactly," said Sean, "You have me, Hitomi, EVERYONE here is here for you!"

"Thanks,  _precioso_ ," she said, "But I'm not going to forget her. She'll always be with me. And I'm sure she's making God laugh right now."

"Right, sure," he said. Being an atheist, it was a bit awkward, but… who cares. "I'm here for you, and so is everyone else. We and I love you too much to let you get yourself down." He kissed her on her forehead and let her stand up. They wrapped their arms around each other and hugged each other tightly.

Another body joined in the hug. It was Eruvanda. Then Kevin came in. And then Aaron. Then Arquen, Ritchie and Janet (who'd come by to help in any way she can) and Hitomi. "We're here for you, Maria," said Ritchie, "You're not alone."

"Thank you, everyone," she said through teary eyes. "You guys are all the best!"

"You damn right we are," said Kevin, "We'll stick up for each other no matter what!"

"And we always will!" Hitomi concluded.

"You guys are the best friends I could ever have," Maria said. "And Ragnar… he's gonna pay." She gripped Hitomi's shirt tightly, much to her friend's discomfort.

"Uuuuhhhhh, probably not a good thing to say," said Sean.

"But Ragnar has already made the biggest mistake he could," said Arquen, "This battle is personal now."

"True," said Sean, "But I don't want any one of us going on some roaring rampage of revenge."

"Where did you get that?" Kevin asked.

"I dunno," Sean replied. "Okay, enough of the group hug." They all let go and dispersed. Maria took one more look at her picture of Veronica and sighed.

"Rest in power, Veronica," she said before putting it in her wallet.

:-:-:-: PRGPX :-:-:-:

"I cannot help but fear that we have done something wrong," said Túrelie.

"Of course we haven't," said Phaedos, "A Ranger trainee is dead. That's pretty close to killing an actual Power Ranger."

"But… I cannot help but feel as if we have awoken the proverbial sleeping giant with this," Túrelie said while fiddling her uniform buttons.

"Puh-lease!" Phaedos scoffed, "What can they do? Stomp on all of us?"

"You of all beings should know the dangers of angry Power Rangers," said Túrelie, "After all, you angered them enough to kill you."

"That is… oh. I see your point."

"I am not positive if Ragnar knew what he had done would have an effect," said Túrelie, "But if he is told, then I assume he will understand."

"You can tell him," said Phaedos, "He's right behind you."

Túrelie was sure that Phaedos was bluffing, but she heard a shifting uniform fabric behind her. "COMMANDER RAGNAR, SIR!" she bellowed, standing up and saluting her commander.

"What do you need to say, Túrelie?" he asked.

"I-I-I…" she gulped and tried to find a way to say what she wanted to say without Ragnar getting angry. It was harder than she assumed. "I was… simply concerned that the death of that Power Ranger trainee could be a catalyst for the Rangers."

"Ah," said Ragnar, "Your suspicions are warranted, and I will be sure to make note of it." Túrelie sighed in relief. "I doubt that will happen, but I am glad you warned me about it."

"Are there any other Ranger trainees we must target?" Túrelie asked.

"One of the Red Ranger's teammates is a trainee," said Ragnar, "I am positive they will be more protective of him, so the assassin should be on their guard."

"Yes, sir!" said Túrelie."

:-:-:-: Power Rangers GPX :-:-:-:

"So…"

"We're done, Aamir," said Hitomi.

"Oh. I see. Why?"

"It just wasn't working out," she said, "Sorry."

"Alright," said Aamir, "I'm glad you told me."

:-:-:-: PRGPX :-:-:-:

Kevin shivered as an easterly wind blew against him while he walked westward down Linden Drive towards Babcock Hall. Well, not actually Babcock Hall, but the on-campus dairy barn where he knew that the next Project Ranger trainee would be.

Dimitri Shevchenko, a native of Ukraine, had quit the hockey team. Kevin's visit was mainly in the guise of asking him why he quit, and why his grades were slipping. He'd been coming back to class, but for the most part, he was not really into the course work.

But Kevin knew stress when he saw it. And he saw a lot of stress on Shevchenko's face and he wanted the Ukrainian Ag student to talk about it. But he also had a chance to inform Shevchenko of his Project Ranger training.

After Veronica's death, there was the obvious resolve on the part of the Rangers to not only move on (despite barely knowing her) and avenge her death. But he could sense some desperation on everyone's part about finding the next Project Ranger trainee. If they were too slow, or not careful enough, Ragnar could easily pick them off one by one.

You can guess how much the stakes have been raised.

He found the Ukrainian hockey player working on some hay in front of the barn. "Dimitri!" he called out.

Shevchenko looked up from his work, apparently surprised that Kevin had come to see him. "Mr. O'Donnell," he said in accented English, "What do you need?"

"I need to talk to you," Kevin said calmly and re-assuredly, "Is that alright?"

"No, it is alright," said Shevchenko, "But—"

"You can keep working," said Kevin. The big Ukrainin nodded and went back to work. "I was just a little concerned. Your grades are slipping and you up and quit the hockey team."

"I know," said Shevchenko.

"Do you know WHY?" Kevin asked. Shevchenko stopped and dug the pitchfork into the ball of hay he was working on. Kevin could see the stress on the man's face as plain as day. "If you're stressed, it's alright. I know some people who could help."

"Are you sure?" Shevchenko asked.

"Well, I do know Sean and Jimmy O'Callahan and Ritchie Metoxen," said Kevin, "So I know what you are going to say."

"I am sorry," said Dimitri, "But I was not expecting American university to be so difficult."

"I understand," said Kevin, "I suspect English or Language Arts, whatever you want to say, is a difficult subject."

"Writing was never a strength," said Dimitri.

"And yet, you're good enough at it to get into a major American university," said Kevin, "I don't want you to go on academic probation or get suspended. Either one is bad."

"Do you actually think that could happen?" Dimitri asked fearfully.

"Then come back to class! Find a tutor!" Kevin replied, "I want you to succeed! This is your education we're talking about here, even if you don't remain with the hockey team. Which, by the way, is fine, because I know just how stressed out your fellow student-athletes can be. If it were up to me, athletics would only take up a small amount of a student's time, but… forget it."

"Forget what?" Dimitri asked, "I do not want to get in trouble!"

"No, no!" Kevin said, "Dimitri, I'm not here to get you in trouble; I'm trying to help you! If you fail every single class,  _then_  you could get in trouble!"

"Then what should I do?"

Kevin scoffed. "Come to class!" he replied, "What, did you think I'm out to get you? Maybe someone else, but not me."

"Like who?" Dimitri asked.

Well, now was as good a time as ever. Kevin reached into his coat pocket and pulled the papers out while Dimitri watched nervously. "Remember when you were a kid, and you had to attend summer camps, martial arts classes and the like?" Kevin asked.

"Yes," Dimitri replied.

"I had to do much of the same," Kevin replied, "And so did my friends and thousands of other kids."

"What?"

Kevin walked up to Dimitri and handed the papers to him. "You were trained by the United Nations as part of a top-secret program known as 'Project Ranger'. Thousands of kids, ages 8 to 14 were trained in a variety of martial arts and other curriculum, all done in absolute secrecy to allow them to have a normal childhood. I was one of them. And so were the Power Rangers."

"The Power Rangers!?" Dimitri shouted, only to earn a finger-to-the-mouth gesture from Kevin, "You know them?"

"I  _am_  one," Kevin replied, exposing his morpher. "And so are Sean O'Callahan and Ritchie Metoxen. Jimmy O'Callahan was also trained."

"WHAT!?" Dimitri shouted.

"SHEVCHENKO! What's going on out there!?" Dimitri's supervisor called out.

"Nothing, we're just talking about his English class!" Kevin replied.

"Okay!"

"Be quieter from now on," said Kevin, "I know it's a shock, but please—we can't expose our secret identities. You know, superhero stuff."

"Alright," said Dimitri, "So, O'Callahan and Metoxen…"

"Sean is the Red Ranger, our leader," said Kevin, "And Ritchie joined last semester. I'm the Blue Ranger, the second-in-command. I've also been leading the team while Sean and Ritchie are away." Apologies that you haven't seen that (and never will), by the way.

"How did you…"

"Become Power Rangers? It took us some convincing," said Kevin.

"And why do I need to be careful?" Dimitri asked.

"The elf commander Ragnar is dead set on killing us," said Kevin, "He knows we're a symbol of humanity's potential and strength, and if he wants to destroy humanity, he knows he has to start with us. But we've been a thorn in his side for the past several months. So he's going after Project Ranger trainees. Also, if he kills other Trainees, they can't be used if we die in the line of duty."

"So… this is for my life's protection?" Dimitri asked, "What am I to do?"

"Nothing," Kevin replied, "Except be on your guard. We have NO intention of letting any Trainees get killed… Well, any more."

"Any more?"

"We failed to save one yesterday," said Kevin, "And it won't happen again."

"That does not help my confidence," said Dimitri.

"I said it won't happen again," said Kevin.

"Are you sure?"

"To be honest, I can't promise anything," said Kevin, "But you will be protected by our backers, SWORD. You won't notice them, but they're there."

"But I am not positive—"

"It takes more than a gunshot to take down a Power Ranger," Kevin interrupted, "I hated when he did this at first, but Sean never gives up unless he needs to, and that's spread to the rest of us. We are GOING to keep the Project Ranger Trainees safe."

"Is that so?"

Kevin sighed and turned around to see a big, burly wingless man-bat walking towards them. "Shite," he muttered. He brought his AcceleMorpher up to his mouth and said into it, "Sean, get over to the Dairy Barn as soon as possible. Some monster wants to kill Shevchenko." He turned the morpher off. "Listen, I need to run as soon as I tell you too, okay?"

"Okay," said Dimitri.

Kevin turned around to face the monster. He pulled his sleeve down to display his morpher. "I'm not going to let you harm another Project Ranger Trainee!" he declared, "GPX! Start it up!" In a flash of blue light, he became the Blue Ranger once again. "Wait until I tell you to, understand?" he said. Dimitri nodded. Kevin got into a fighting stance.

The wingless man-bat charged Kevin. He braced himself and caught the man-bat, holding it in place. "SHEVCHENKO, GO!" Dimitri didn't question Kevin. He took off as fast as he could towards Babcock Hall.

Kevin moved the man-bat away from the direction of Babcock. He let go and punched the monster in the snout. He drew his blaster and shot the monster a couple times. Whatever hesitation he had about killing a living monster was gone, at least for now. The monster got back up and tried to charge Kevin. Kevin shot the monster again.

It was getting angry and Kevin knew it. But he could not let the monster through. It was stand or fall. "HEY!" he screamed to the people in the barn, "If you don't want to have your blood drained, run right NOW!"

The monster lunged at Kevin to try and kill him. But Kevin knew this was going to happen and kicked the monster in the head. It fell backwards, stunned from the kick.

"Give up!" he said.

"Why don't you!?" the monster shot back.

"Are we really going to do this?" Kevin groaned. "Whatever." He pointed his blaster at the monster again and shot it.

Sean had to run all the way up Bascom Hill because it was the fastest route, and now he was exhausted as he approached Babcock Hall. "I gotta take more classes on the west campus," he huffed. "Wait, who's—Shevchenko!?"

Dimitri was hunched over, catching his breath. "Yo Shevs, what're you doin' here!?" Sean asked.

"Kevin is… fighting… monster…" Shevchenko breathed.

"So he told ya, huh? We'll talk later!" Dimitri watched bewildered as Sean ran off to fight the monster. Just seconds later, Ritchie raced down Linden as well.

"Hey, Shevs!" he said.

"Monster—"

"Yeah, I know!" Ritchie replied. "Sorrygoodtoseeyaagainreallywantyoubackontheteamdonchaknow!" He ran away before Dimitri could say anything else.

Kevin was tied up with the monster, gripping his arms and keeping him from going any further. That was easier said than done, of course, and the monster was using its superior size to push Kevin farther and farther towards Babcock Hall. He really didn't have a very good—

" _Superman PUNCH_!"

Sean and Ritchie delivered a simultaneous namesake punch to the monster, flying in from the monster's left. "Why did we have to call out our attack?" Sean asked.

"Because why the fuck not?" Ritchie replied.

"Well, that gives away the element of surprise!"

"WILL YOU TWO SHUT UP AND FOCUS ON THAT!?" Kevin bellowed.

"Oh, right, got it—wait… I'M THE ONE SUPPOSED TO BE GIVING ORDERS HERE, WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON!?"

"Oops!"

"Alright, circle up!" Sean ordered. The other two surrounded the monster. Sean put his dukes up.

The monster lunged at Sean. He punched the monster. It spun around and he wrapped a chokehold on the monster. "Your boss made my girlfriend cry," he said, "NO ONE makes my girlfriend cry! Make this fight personal and you're gonna burn! GOT IT!?"

"Is that a threat?" the monster replied.

"It's more than that," Sean replied, kneeing the monster in the back. "But right now, it's not a good idea to let personal feelings get involved!"

"That's a relief," Kevin sighed.

Ritchie threw a roundhouse kick at the man-bat. The man-bat blocked his kick and took a big swipe at him. He ducked and tried to sweep the man-bat's legs out from under him. The man-bat's stance was strong, making it nearly impossible. The man-bat grabbed Ritchie and tossed him into Sean. Both guys grunted in pain.

With the man-bat's back turned, Kevin punched the monster there. The man-bat spun and tried to backhand him. Kevin caught the backhand and elbowed it in the head.

Sean and Ritchie had gotten up off each other and ran over to the man-bat. They collided with the monster, leaving it sprawling on the ground.

The monster quickly got back up, only to get kicked in the head by a flying yellow boot. Maria landed on the ground and furiously assaulted the monster. Her punches and kicks were so fast it was hard for the other Rangers to see them. From the grunts and kiais, it was obvious she was trying to keep her personal pain out of this fight. But it's not like she can just forget that her best friend was killed almost 24 hours ago. After all, some people can hold grudges for an entire lifetime.

She roared and threw an upper-cut that knocked the monster backwards. Hitomi kicked the monster in the back of the head. Arquen kneed the monster when it fell forward.

Sean patted Maria's back and gripped her shoulder. Maria nodded once he gripped her, and sighed. "Sorry,  _precioso_ ," she said.

"S'alright," he replied. "Alright, this bastard wants to get at Shevchenko. Over my dead body!"

"I shall grant that request!" the man-bat interrupted, lashing out, grabbing Sean by the throat, lifting him up and slamming him to the ground.

Ritchie stepped over Sean, punching the monster in the snout. Hitomi leaped over his shoulders, knocking the monster to the ground and tossing it towards the big Dairy Barn. Thankfully, the monster didn't damage the barn. It skidded to a stop not too far from the wall of the barn, although judging by the loud "moo-ing", the cows must've known there was something headed their way.

"Alright, MOO-ve that bat!" Sean ordered, earning a smack upside the head from Maria. "What? I'm trying to make you laugh, you need to laugh!"

"Not with puns," she replied. He huffed in disappointment.

The monster didn't need help getting back up. It ran towards Ritchie. Ritchie spread his legs wide and punched the monster, one-two. The monster fells backwards, but reached out and grabbed Ritchie to pull the Gold Ranger down with him. Ritchie braced himself and allowed Arquen to kick the monster to keep it upright.

The monster swung a large fist at Arquen. The Green Ranger was knocked back a couple feet, but recovered and stayed on  _his_  feet. Maria ran up and jumped off of his back, flipping in the air and kicking the monster on the way down. The monster got back up and threw a punch at Maria. She blocked, spun and reverse roundhouse kicked the monster, following up with a side-kick.

The monster was getting tired and everyone could see it. But reluctance to pull out their weapons prevented them from ending it right here and now. The monster took advantage of the hesitation. He lunged at Arquen. Arquen stepped out of the way, but the monster backhanded him. Arquen stumbled, then kicked the monster a couple times in succession.

Maria and Hitomi grabbed the monster and held him in place. Sean, Kevin and Ritchie all ran up and punched the monster. The monster stumbled onto Linden, struggling to get back up. "Are you going to do it?" the monster taunted, "Are you willing to kill me?"

"I am," said Arquen, "Even if I do not want to do it." The other Rangers looked at him suspiciously. "I apologize," he said, "But this must be done."

"Eh, fine," said Sean, "It's not like Ragnar gives us a choice, anyway." He hated saying that. "SUPERCHARGE!"

The Rangers drew their blasters and stuck their keys into them. They pointed their blasters—and Gold Axe—at the monster. "Ready! Aim! FIRE!" They shot the monster several times. The monster screamed, flailed about and fell to the ground before exploding.

"Shit," Ritchie groaned. He pulled his helmet off, followed by Sean and the others. Footsteps approached from behind and they turned around to see Shevchenko walking towards them nervously.

"What up, Shevs?" Sean called out.

"O'Callahan? Metoxen?" Dimitri asked.

"I take it Kevin already told you?" Ritchie asked.

"He did," said Dimitri. "You are Power Rangers?"

"Yep!" Sean replied, "Sorry about the mess and well, not tell you, but—superhero stuff, y'know?"

"I know," said Dimitri. Maria extended her hand to Dimitri for him to shake.

"Hi, I don't know if we met, but I'm Maria," she said, "I'm studying teaching and Sean is my boyfriend."

"Dimitri, I am studying agriculture," he said, "Sean told me about you."

"Oh, that reminds me, why'd you quit the team, Shevs?" Sean asked, "Coach Grainger was pissed off!"

"He was like, 'IF I FIND SHEVCHENKO I'M GONNA MAKE HIM DO SO MANY FUCKIN' HERBIES HE'S GONNA SAY HE PLAYS FOR THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA!' It was louder than that, but, you get the point," said Ritchie.

"But I had reasons for quitting the team," Shevchenko said shakily, "I am not very good, and because of all the work I have to do, I needed to take a break."

"Well, there's nothing wrong with that," said Kevin, "Being a student-athlete is stressful. You should see these two! It's amazing they managed to find the right amount of balance."

"Regular season's over anyways," said Sean, "We start the playoffs against Colorado College on Friday."

"And in the meantime, we'll make sure Santa's Little Helpers don't harm you," said Ritchie, "It's a promise."

"In honor of Veronica," said Maria.

:-:-:-: Power Rangers GPX :-:-:-:

Maria VO: "Next time on  _Power Rangers GPX Supercharged!_ "

Sean: "WHERE IS HE!?"

Hitomi: "Grandmother!?"

Maria: "What a bruja!"

Eruvanda: "I would like to speak with you."

Daisuke: "But she is my grandmother."

Sakura: "You are a disgrace!"

Hitomi: "She's right."

Maria VO: "That's next time on  _Power Rangers GPX Supercharged_!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So how was that?
> 
> In the wake of Veronica's death—who, as it turns out, is an interesting character—I needed a little humor, hence the jokes during the fight scene. However, Maria also needed to move on. She'll still mourn Veronica, but she'll keep her with her when she fights and tries to show Ragnar that he made a huge mistake in killing her friend.
> 
> The next two episodes will be Hitomi/Miyazawa-centric, fleshing both her and the family out a little more, since that definitely has a lot of room for fleshing out. There will also be some character development on her part, plus the burgeoning of a new subplot.
> 
> So please, tell me what you think!


	14. The Miyazawa Matriarch

Hitomi VO: "Last time on 'Power Rangers GPX Supercharged'!"

Sean: "I'm trying to help."

Maria: "Thanks,  _precioso_."

Ritchie: "You're not alone."

Túrelie: "I cannot help but feel as if we have awoken the proverbial sleeping giant with this."

Kevin: "You were trained by the United Nations."

Dimitri: "You are Power Rangers?"

Power Rangers GPX Supercharge, episode 37: The Miyazawa Matriarch

:-:-:-: We're the best chance for humanity, Power Rangers G-P-X, let's go! :-:-:-:

The cheetah monster rushed the Rangers, using the slope of Bascom Hill to aid its descent. The Rangers jumped out of the way and let the monster crash into the street below. "MISSED US!" Sean taunted. Chee-Tar (a ridiculous name for a cheetah monster) got up in a daze, falling against the berm wall.

"Quit makin' fun of me!" Chee-Tar snapped.

"But it's so much fun!" Maria replied.

"Not to me, it isn't!" Chee-Tar snapped. The anthropomorphic cheetah jumped back onto the grassy berm and raced at the Rangers. He ran circles around them, making their heads spin as they tried to keep up with his speed. "Too slow, scum!" Chee-Tar taunted.

Sean growled. He summoned the GT Sword and held it up. "GT STRIKE!" He swung and missed.

"STRIKE ONE!" Chee-Tar taunted.

"I'll show you a strike!" Maria shouted, kicking at Chee-Tar.

"STRIKE TWO!"

"Your arrogance is your downfall," said Arquen. He saluted Chee-Tar with his sword and took a big swing.

"STRIKE 3! YOU'RE OUT!"

"WHAT!? THAT HAD TO HAVE BEEN A FOUL BALL!" Arquen cried.

"And here comes MY HIT!" Chee-Tar wound up his paw and whacked Hitomi in the chest, sending the Pink Ranger flying onto the sidewalk. She was fine, but her bruised ego certainly hurt. "You stay down, Pink!" Chee-Tar taunted as Hitomi tried to climb back up the wall, "You're useless!"

Hitomi growled. She ran up towards Chee-Tar, wound up her fist and punched the cheetah right in the jaw. But the cheetah was still fast, and he jumped out of the way to whack Hitomi in the back. That was when Sean rushed in to take a big swipe at him with the GT Sword.

"COME ON!" Hitomi screamed, pounding her fists into the grass, "What's wrong with me!?" She sat up, rubbing her face—er, helmet—in frustration.

Chee-Tar swiped at Sean. Sean jumped out of the way and Ritchie rushed in to take a punch at Chee-Tar. Sean ran up and kicked Chee-Tar in the chin. Two shots from Maria and Kevin did more damage and Sean and Ritchie punched Chee-Tar at the same time, sending the cheetah flying.

Chee-Tar grunted when he landed on the sidewalk. He looked up to see Sean and Ritchie jump off the hill about to stab him. "YOU'RE NOT GWTTING AWAY!" Sean replied.

But Chee-Tar was going to live to fight another day and ran off right before Sean thrust the blade of the GT Sword deep into the pavement. "Oh, COME ON!" he screamed, struggling to pull the blade out of the pavement, helpless to stop Chee-Tar from making his getaway. "Oh, HE GOT AWAY! WHERE IS HE!?"

"Damn!" Kevin breathed. "How's it going with Excalibur?

"Ha ha, very funny," Sean replied sarcastically. Eventually he pulled it out.

"We have our new King!" Ritchie declared.

"Thank you, my first decree is to declare open season on your ass," Sean snapped back. He pressed his helmet to deactivate the suit, and the others followed.

"Wow, you let him get away, Sean," Ritchie deadpanned.

"Shaddap, Metoxen," Sean replied. "Why don't—Hitomi, what's wrong?"

"Nothing," she replied sharply.

"Boy, someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed!" Maria scolded.

"Sorry," she said, "I'm not useless, am I?"

"Uuuhhhh, no?" Sean asked as if the answer was obvious and she was asking a dumb question.

"Thanks Sean," she said, "I'm glad you care."

"Let's get back to the McMansion and tell SWORD about that happened," said Sean, "They'll probably have guys looking out for him."

:-:-:-: PRGPX :-:-:-:

There was something going on when they got back to the McMansion. A crowd had gathered on Langdon Street—not a large crowd, but a crowd nonetheless. Had some world leader decided to show up in Madison? Maybe they were going to give them a medal! Nah, they already had a world leader in their house and she was on laundry duty today.

But upon closer inspection, they saw that the limousine in front of the McMansion had squiggly lines on it, that Hitomi recognized immediately. "Oh, no," she said.

"I take it that's bad," said Ritchie. Indeed, Hitomi's rushing into the house answered that question. The other Rangers quickly followed.

Hitomi got into the house first and frantically looked around until she saw what she feared the most. "Grandmother!?"

Hitomi's grandmother was seated at the kitchen table, wearing a purple kimono and sipping some tea. Eruvanda stood off to the side, her hair covered and apparently seething. Daisuke sat across from the old woman, his head down and eyes cast to the side. "Hello, Hitomi," she said with a subtle tone of disapproval, "How are you, child?"

"It is wonderful to see you again, Grandmother," she said with a bow. The other Rangers followed Hitomi into the room.

"Who's the old lady?" Sean asked.

"Sean, this is Sakura Miyazawa, my grandmother and matriarch of the Miyazawa family… and one of Project Ranger's chief backers."

"So, these are the Power Rangers," Sakura said, her eyes narrowing with disdain, "I have seen better on those silly Super Sentai television shows."

"We've saved the world countless times, lady," said Sean, "I'd like to be treated with a little respect.

"Why must I?" Sakura asked, "When it is obvious you six are a disgrace?"

"You know, you've got some nerve coming into MY house—"

"Paid for with MY money, and for YOU to play your silly little ice game!" Sakura snapped, "Treat your guests with respect!"

"Grrr, you've got some nerve, you old bag," he grumbled.

"This is the one who took your Red Ranger position?" Sakura asked Daisuke, "What a disgrace!"

"HEY!" Sean snapped, only to be held back by Arquen.

"Typical American, always resorting to violence," said Sakura.

"EXCUSE ME!?" Sean roared, prompting Arquen to pull the American out of the room and put him in time-out in the TV room.

"I tried," Eruvanda sighed, "She is a horrible person."

"She can't be that bad," said Maria.

"And you, tanned woman," said Sakura, "Do you take pride in being a whore?"

"OI!" Maria screamed. Again, someone held her back. "What a  _bruja_!" she huffed and puffed.

"You too, huh?" Sean asked.

"Sean, everyone, who don't you leave the room?" Eruvanda said, deciding that she didn't want any more trouble. "Ms. Miyazawa, I would like to speak with you later."

Maria and Sean walked into the TV room and sat down. They could hear Ritchie screaming at something and it didn't sound good.

"Who the hell is this old hag?" Ritchie asked, coming into the TV room, "She just called me a redskin!"

"And she called me the N-word!" Aaron said, getting up from the chair.

"We gotta figure out how to get rid of that old hag," said Sean.

"Yeah, but she might cut us off if we toss her out," said Maria.

"Shit," said Sean. "I hope she's not too bad."

"Don't tempt fate," said Maria. "Let's just stay away from her for now and—where's Hitomi?"

"Talking to her grandma," said Sean, "And I've got the feeling it's not going to end well for her or us. And what the hell is she doing here? Parents' weekend was LAST semester!"

"No idea," said Kevin. "And they're speaking Japanese right now, I can't tell what they're saying."

"Oh come on, you guys went to Japan and you don't know Japanese!?" Ritchie asked.

"You can't learn a language as hard as Japanese in a month!" Sean replied, "We only picked up the basics! And I STILL can't read it!"

"Forget it, I'm gonna see if I can figure out what's going on," said Ritchie.

"Hitomi, child, what happened to that Indian boy you told us about," Sakura said, their conversation going on in their native tongue.

"I broke up with him, grandmother," she replied. She looked up to see Ritchie, Sean and Maria peeking into the kitchen like a Scooby-Doo stack.

"You ended it? Why?"

"It just did not work out, grandmother," she said.

"That is good," said Sakura, "You need to focus less on your silly little 'dating' and get ready to become a wife."

"But I am having fun here—"

"Do not speak out of turn!" Sakura snapped. "As soon as you graduate, I am going to arrange a marriage to the Fuji family's son. I want NO objections, do you understand?"

"Yes, grandmother," she said sadly.

"And Daisuke, WHY did you leave the Power Rangers?"

"Because I was a temporary replacement," he said, "I wanted to leave on my own terms."

"I hardly believe that," said Sakura, "You sound more like a coward than a man taking control of his life. First you let a middle-class American dog take your leadership role, then you leave, then come back and leave again!? Are you going to stop embarrassing yourself!?"

"But our current Green Ranger is—"

"NO OBJECTIONS!" she shouted, "You have brought shame upon our family!"

"I brought shame for my horrid actions last year," he said.

"Jeez, she sounds nasty," Sean whispered.

"I cannot forgive the Americans for what they did to our proud country," Sakura continued, "The fact that you are attending an American university already makes me uncomfortable."

"But mother was happy for us," said Hitomi.

"Your mother has her opinions, and I have mine," said Sakura. "But I am matriarch, and if I want you out of this university, I can take you out with one word."

"Yes, grandmother," Hitomi said with a scared look.

"Now, Daisuke, what do you have to say for yourself?" Sakura asked.

"Grandmother, as much as I hate to admit it, had it not been for O'Callahan's leadership, we could have failed at some point," he said.

"For some reason, I feel exceptionally proud," Sean said, despite being unable to understand them.

"What nonsense!" Sakura scoffed, "How could that low-life lead the Power Rangers!?"

"Better than I ever could," said Daisuke, "Even if he is arrogant, crude and a braggart."

"I do not care!" Sakura snapped, "I will contact SWORD and demand that they re-instate you!"

"You cannot do that!" Daisuke replied.

"I can do what I want, and do not question your grandmother!"

"… Yes, grandmother." The groans of the other Rangers interrupted this "heart-to-heart" and alerted Sakura to their presence. She turned around and they tried to hide behind the post.

"I know you riff-raff are there!" she said, "Stop hiding!"

"RIFF RAFF!?" Sean shouted, "I'll show you—"

"It's not worth it,  _precisoso_!" Maria said.

"HE is your leader?" Sakura asked, "A foul-mouthed, short-tempered buffoon if I ever saw one!"

"YOU WANNA GO AT IT, YOU OLD HAG!?" Sean shouted as Maria, Arquen and Ritchie dragged him away. "RICH BOY, ARE YOU GONNA TAKE THAT!?"

"But she is my grandmother!" he said.

"I DON'T GIVE A SHIT!" Sean shouted, "I'M NOT RESPECTING SOMEONE WHO DOESN'T GIVE ME ANY!"

:-:-:-: Power Rangers GPX :-:-:-:

"You escaped?" said Ragnar, "I am impressed."

"They're slower than you feared," Chee-Tar replied, "I have the advantage."

"And escaping to fight again is good thinking," said Ragnar, "Wait until nightfall. Then, attack one of the Rangers. I would suggest the Pink one. She is the weakest, but their moral heart."

"Yes, Commander Ragnar!"

:-:-:-: PRGPX :-:-:-:

Sean and Ritchie got back from hockey practice feeling a little better. It took some much-needed stress-causing hockey to get their minds off that old hag that had parked herself in their house and was refusing to leave.

The two grabbed some water from the fridge and flopped down on the couch to watch some TV. Maria and Eruvanda were seated on the floor, talking about their days. "That woman is near impossible to negotiate with," said Eruvanda, "I almost lost my cool just trying to talk to her."

"Is there any chance you could try again?" Maria asked.

"Negotiation is important," said Eruvanda, "I do not see why I cannot."

"If it didn't work the first time, I doubt it'll work the second," Sean muttered.

"You! O'Callahan!" Sean froze up and shifted in his seat when Old Lady Miyazawa walked into the TV room. She was quite spry for a woman her age of eighty-something. "My grandson tells me you have been a great leader."

"Why thank you!" Sean replied.

"You three—OUT!" Sakura said to Maria, Liz and Ritchie. Sean nodded to them and they got up to leave. "Impressive… for riff-raff like you."

"Keep calling me that," said Sean, "I'm water, you're glue."

"Hm," she scoffed, "I would expect nothing less from a man who was raised by two women. Did they coddle you, Irishman? I would have assumed your father would have knocked some sense in to you. SO unnatural."

"Right, because two women who love each other and raising a wonderful family is more unnatural than someone as hateful as you are," Sean snapped back.

"Do not talk back to me!" Sakura replied.

"Don't disrespect me!" Sean replied, "You wanna know why I don't give up? I was bullied as a kid and the only way to stop a bully is to stand up to them!" He stood and stared Sakura down, "And YOU, you old  _HAG_ , are as bad a bully as the little bastards I dealt with in school!"

"Typical American!" she said, "As I would expect from the grandson of a war criminal!"

"My grandpa was in the 101, he was NOT a naz—"

"I know what I mean!" Sakura replied, "Your government dropped a bomb on us, and I will never forgive such a war crime!"

"Need I remind you of the shit you pulled in the War?" Sean replied, "Unit 731? Nanking?"

"You DARE defy me?" Sakura asked.

"Now you sound like Ragnar," said Sean.

"DO NOT COMPARE ME TO HIM!" she roared, "You are NOT fit for leadership!"

"If it wasn't for me, YOU'D be dead!" Sean replied, "And every other human on the planet!"

"Enough of this!" Sakura snapped, "Let us see how you would react when I tell you the truth of Project Ranger!"

"That you helped bankroll it and wanted Rich Boy to be leader, even though he had no actual leadership skills?" Sean replied.

"That you and your friends are mere lab rats!" Sakura replied.

"HA—wait, WHAT!?"

"SWORD used you to test an experimental serum that they administered at your precious summer camps," said Sakura, "The serum was intended to induce muscle and bone growth, but had the side-effect of increasing your metabolism and healing. It must be so hard to know that your so-called 'natural' strength is the result of cheating."

Sean dropped the water bottle in his hand and sat back on the couch. Maria, Ritchie and Kevin, who were all watching, also dropped to the floor. "The serum also caused cancer in a number of participants, which led to the discontinuation of the serum," said Sakura.

"Why did you tell us?" Sean asked.

"I wanted an all-Japanese Ranger unit," she replied, "I might as well get what I want."

Hitomi and Daisuke walked into the room, both with shameful looks on their faces. "Is this true, Rich Boy?"

"It is," said Daisuke. "SWORD covered it up from the UN until they realized what was going on. I am so sorry, everyone."

"I refuse to apologize," said Sakura, "You lot are a disgrace! I cannot understand how they could have picked such miserable low-lifes—an American dog, an Irish ape, a black gorilla, a whore and a savage—to be our defenders!"

"Oh, NOW you're making me proud to be a Ranger!" said Sean.

"That is quite enough!" Eruvanda interrupted, removing her hat, "I wanted to stay out of this, but you leave me no choice! I am Eruvanda II of the House of Oberon, Rightful Queen of the Elves, and I DEMAND that we discuss these fine young humans!"

"What do you want?" Sakura asked.

"I want you to cease your insults," Eruvanda said sternly, "Just because they have been experimented on does not take away from the tremendous courage these fine young men and women have shown. I ask that you please respect that."

"Why should I?" Sakura asked, "Especially coming from a coward who fled her people!"

"Your insults have no effect on me," Eruvanda replied, "I made peace with that a long time ago."

"And what are you going to do?" Sakura asked.

"Only to talk," said Eruvanda, "And plead the case of these fine young men and women. They have shown bravery, determination, resourcefulness and fortitude in facing adversity. If these past several months have proven anything, it is that they were indeed the correct choice to become Earth's and humanity's protectors."

"And what about their 'enhancements'?"

"That changes nothing," Eruvanda replied. "For all we know, the serum has left their veins by now. And their physical attributes matter not. It is their heart that has made them so wonderful."

"You are too enamored with them," said Sakura.

"They are only human," said Eruvanda.

"That is true," said Sakura, "But they are not the Rangers I want. I have already informed SWORD that I will cut off their fund—"

"Grandmother, that's enough!" Hitomi begged.

While the others cracked smiles, Sakura turned around and glared at Hitomi. The heiress was visibly frightened and backed away. "What did you just say?" Sakura asked.

"Nothing!" said Hitomi.

"Liar," Sakura replied, "You interrupted me. NEVER interrupt me again!"

"My apologies!" Hitomi bowed.

"Give 'er hell, Hitomi!" Maria said.

"YOU be quiet, whore!" Sakura snapped, "How many times have I told you, Hitomi, NEVER INTERRUPT ME!?"

"I'm sorry!"

"Apologies will not cut it, you little brat! I only let you join the Rangers to teach you a lesson in humility! Instead, these low-lives are a negative influence! I want you to turn in your morpher RIGHT NOW!"

"NO!" Hitomi shouted.

"DO NOT YELL AT ME, BRAT!" Sakura screamed, "YOU ARE A DISGRACE TO THIS FAMILY! I WISH YOU WERE NEVER BORN!"

Something snapped in Hitomi. She stood still as a board, a blank expression on her face. The others stood around, wondering what was going on inside her head. She finally started to move when she reached for her coat. She was still stunned when she opened the door and ran outside into the melting snow.

"CHICA!" Maria cried, rushing out, "COME BACK!" But Hitomi was already all the way down the block and not turning around. "You, you old WITCH, are the worst human I have ever MET!" Maria shouted as she grabbed her coat, "If there was a word that perfectly described you, I would say it, but since my best friend is in pain… I can't say it!"

"Wait up!" Sean said as he grabbed his coat. The other Rangers did the same thing and ran outside, chasing Maria and Hitomi.

:-:-:-: Power Rangers GPX :-:-:-:

Hitomi had been running blindly through the streets. She ran to get away, to escape from her grandmother and her family. But it was no use. They always haunted her no matter where she went. Not even the loud car horns could stop her from running all across town. She didn't know and didn't care where she was going. All she knew was that she desperately wanted to get away from her grandmother as soon as possible.

She soon found herself on State Street, where she ran against the crowds. They were unhappy with her rude behavior, but she ignored them.

It wasn't until she collided with someone that she finally stopped. "HEY! Watch it—Hitomi!?"

Hitomi looked up and saw Gina laying under her. The heiress slowly got off her friend, while the elf-girl picked herself up, feeling the back of her head for blood. "Jeez, Hitomi," she said, "What's going on?" She was carrying a bag with her and wearing what looked like elven boots.

"Nothing," Hitomi lied.

"Liar," said Gina. "What's going on?"

"It's nothing," said Hitomi. Gina grabbed the heiress and pulled her head towards her while holding her hand.

"I know you too well to believe your bullshit," said Gina, "Come on, it's okay. You can talk to me. I'm here for you."

Hitomi opened her mouth, but the growling behind her stopped her. Turning around, she saw Chee-Tar advancing down the street at a slow pace right towards her. "Get out of here, Gina," she said.

"Gladly!" Gina replied. She got up and ran away while Hitomi stood.

"GPX, start it up!" she called as she morphed. Chee-Tar ran right up to Hitomi and hit her right as she morphed. Hitomi screamed as she flew backwards several feet, sliding along the pavement while civilians ran to get out of the way. Chee-Tar ran right up to her as she struggled to get up. He placed his foot on her back and started to press down.

"What a joke!" Chee-Tar scoffed, "I thought the Pink Ranger would be more of a challenge! Weakling!"

"Don't call me that!" Hitomi shot back. Chee-Tar kicked her for that.

"You got beaten easily!" Chee-Tar taunted, "Where did this come from?"

"Shut up!" Hitomi replied. Chee-Tar tsk'd a couple times.

"You really are bad at this," he said, "I wonder what could be—"

"Don't touch her!"

Chee-Tar was annoyed when he turned to his right. Gina, now dressed like something out of  _Lord of the Rings_ , was pointing an energy staff at Chee-Tar. "What do you think you're doing, girl?" he asked, "Playing dress-up?"

"Don't. Touch her." Gina insisted.

Chee-Tar laughed. "You are in no position to be giving orders!" he said, "Look at you! Just because you're Rusco's daughter doesn't mean you can fight like him!"

"That Pink Ranger's my best friend!" Gina replied, "And I'll do whatever—" Chee-Tar ran up to Gina, grabbed her and threw her onto Hitomi. Gina cried in pain first when she landed on Hitomi and then when Chee-Tar pressed his foot on the two.

"That means nothing to me," he said, "You call yourself an elf? You just got—"

"GT  _STRIKE_!" Chee-Tar only had a split second to get away as Sean leaped at him, swinging the GT Sword down. He just barely missed as the Sword was embedded into the pavement again. Sean pulled the sword out and held it up like it was a baseball bat. "Touch my Pink Ranger again and I'll skewer you."

"I thought you were—"

"For you, I'll make an exception!" he interrupted. "I'm in a bad mood right now, so—HIYA!" He swung the GT Sword at Chee-Tar. Chee-Tar jumped out of the way and Sean followed that up with another swing. He focused on keeping Chee-Tar preoccupied while Maria ran up and picked the elf-girl off of Hitomi.

"You have to get out of here!" Maria ordered.

"But I can't—"

"You're not as strong as we are," Maria interrupted, "Please, you'll just get in our way."

"But I want to—"

"You have a strong heart," said Maria, "But it's not enough."

"What what's wrong with Hitomi?"

"She's stressed," said Maria, "Now please, go!"

"But I want to help her!"

"You can help by leaving this to us!" said Maria, "Now go!" Gina was not happy about it. But Maria shoved her into one of the side-streets, making the elf-girl run away. Maria pulled Hitomi up and dusted her friend off while Sean kept Chee-Tar preoccupied. " _Chica_ , are you alright?"

"No," Hitomi whimpered. Maria gripped Hitomi's shoulders while Sean took a couple big cuts at Chee-Tar. The other guys ran up to Chee-Tar, hitting him hard and fast. Chee-Tar was having difficulty standing up, but the frustrated Rangers were merciless.

Sean pointed the GT Sword at Chee-Tar while Kevin, Ritchie and Arquen gathered next to him. Chee-Tar struggled to get back up and rushed the Rangers. Sean swung his sword and struck Chee-Tar. Arquen kicked Chee-Tar in the head, and Kevin punched in on the same spot on the other side of the head. Ritchie punched him in the gut and chin.

And while the sadist in the Rangers wanted to beat the utter snot out of Chee-Tar, the pragmatist was telling them to end it right now before more people got hurt. "Get your keys out," said Sean, "It's time to Supercharge."

They jammed their keys into their weapons and took aim. "Fire." Sean's cold order was enough as guys launched their attacks that struck Chee-Tar and sent him to the ground in a fiery explosion.

In a way it was more satisfying to just finish a monster without much of a fight, but Hitomi was the main concern. She was limp in Maria's arms and utterly despondent.

Now that the fight was over, Gina carefully walked back to the scene as the Rangers deactivated their helmets. "Hitomi?" she asked softly.

But Hitomi's blank expression spoke volumes. "I'm a failure," she said.

"What? No you're not!" Maria replied.

"I am," she said as she got up to leave. Gina ran over to her and tried to get her to stop.

"Hitomi, PLEASE tell me! What's going on?" the elf-girl pleaded.

"I failed," Hitomi replied, "She's right. I am a disgrace."

"Who's right?" Gina asked. Sean placed his hand on Gina's shoulder and shook his head.

"Her grandmother," said Sean, "That's what happened."

:-:-:-: PRGPX :-:-:-:

Rob VO: "Next time on  _Power Rangers GPX Supercharged_!"

Gina: "I'd do ANYTHING for her."

Sean: "You lied to us!"

Ragnar: "We are going to expose SWORD's worst secrets."

Phaedos: "You're a weakling!"

Maelstrom: "What are you planning?"

Col. Greene: "That does it."

Gina: "HITOMI!"

Rob VO: "That's next time on  _Power Rangers GPX Supercharged_!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so I know there isn't much action and a lot of dialogue in here, but I felt that it was important to show just where many of Hitomi's confidence issues came from. As you can see, her grandmother is a horrible excuse for a human being, so bigoted that she makes members of the KKK look like upstanding citizens. Of course, I don't know if I did that, but I tried.
> 
> The super-soldier serum thing had been on my mind for some time. I thought it would be an interesting idea, and hopefully it sort of helps with that. If you're not happy about it, you can take consolation in the fact the Rangers are unhappy, too. Or perhaps I'm lying and Sakura was just messing with them to make them angry.
> 
> Either way, I hope you enjoyed this!


	15. Hitomi's Resolve

Ritchie VO: "Last time on  _Power Rangers GPX Supercharged_!"

Hitomi: "What's wrong with me!?"

Sakura: "How are you, child?"

Hitomi: "This is Sakura Miyazawa, my grandmother and matriarch of the Miyazawa family… and one of Project Ranger's chief backers."

Sean: "You've got some nerve, you old bag!"

Sakura: "You have brought shame upon our family!"

(Hitomi runs out of the house through the streets of Madison where she runs into Gina)

Gina: "Come on, it's okay. You can talk to me. I'm here for you."

Hitomi: "I'm a failure."

Power Rangers GPX Supercharged, episode 38: Hitomi's Resolve

:-:-:-: We're the best chance for humanity, Power Rangers G-P-X, let's go! :-:-:-:

"Is she in here?" Gina asked. Karen nodded and opened the door, allowing the teenage she-elf to enter Hitomi's dorm room.

The Pink Ranger was curled up in a ball on her bed, facing the wall. She hadn't changed out of her pajamas. Her hair was disheveled, flat and flared out in many directions on the bed. Gina couldn't see Hitomi's face, but she could only imagine how painful it must be if she was in such a sad state. If only she could do more…

"I've tried to figure out what to do with her," said Karen, "But I can't seem to get through to her."

"Thanks," said Gina.

"You're that elf girl, aren't you?" Karen asked, "Pretty brave of you coming all the way here showing those ears of yours."

"She's my best friend," Gina replied, "I'd do ANYTHING for her."

Gina's statement surprised Karen in more ways than one. "Okay…" she said, "Are you…"

"No, but would it be wrong if I was?" Gina snapped.

"Sorry!" Karen gasped. "I'm gonna… leave you two alone." Karen shuffled out of the room while Gina watched. When she closed the door, Gina sighed, shook her head and climbed onto Hitomi's bed.

"Hitomi," she said gently, nudging the heiress. She didn't move. She just stared at the wall like it was a movie screen. The pang in Gina's chest only got tighter and worse when she saw her friend looking like that. She could've sworn it was something more than friendship, but that wasn't important right now. What was important was getting Hitomi out of this funk she was in. "Come on. I'm here for you."

Hitomi glanced at her and then looked away. Gina sighed and sat back against the wall. "I have to leave soon, you know," she said, "I've got school in an hour. I can only stay for a little bit." Hitomi didn't say anything. "What's wrong, Hitomi?" she asked, "You can tell me anything!"

"I can't," Hitomi choked out.

"Yes you can!" Gina said, both firmly and softly. She gently rubbed Hitomi's back while the heiress moaned sadly. "Something's wrong," she said. "What is it?"

"Am I weak?" Hitomi asked.

"No, you're not," said Gina, "You're the bravest person I ever met. It's because of you that I try to help." Even though she gets in more trouble for that.

"You're lying," she said.

"Hitomi, I'm not lying," Gina replied, "You're amazing! What happened? How did you end up like this?"

"My grandmother," she choked out, before realizing she'd come clean.

"Oh, right," said Gina. "Are you going to take that?"

"She's right," said Hitomi.

"Bullshit! Hitomi,  _you_  are the most amazing person I have ever met!"

"Liar."

"Do you think I'm making this up? Have your friends told you how amazing you are?"

"Please, leave me alone," Hitomi whimpered.

"Hitomi…" she laid her head on Hitomi's shoulder, "If it wasn't for you and your friends I wouldn't have had the courage to come out as an elf in the first place. And I wouldn't have stood up for myself on Christmas Eve. You mean so much to me, Hitomi."

Hitomi didn't move. "I'll leave you alone," she said gently, "I have to get to school. I'll come back later to see how you're doing, okay? If you need me, I'll be glad to help. And… I'll come to you if I need any." She got up and left while Hitomi lingered on her bed.

:-:-:-: PRGPX :-:-:-:

"You lied to us!" Sean shouted.

" _No, we didn't_ ," Maelstrom replied. " _We didn't tell you anything_."

"That's still bad!" Sean replied.

" _Well, what were we supposed to do_?" Maelstrom asked, his image in the laptop rubbing his head, " _Spill all our secrets to a bunch of kids?_ "

"Well, no, but—you could've told us!" said Sean.

" _Look, whatever serum you had injected into you is out of your system now_ ," said Maelstrom, " _The only thing you need to worry about is the elves!_ "

"Oh, don't try to weasel your way out of this!" Kevin replied, "What else are you hiding from us?"

"I feel like a cheater!" said Sean, "Like Barry Bonds or Roger Clemens!"

"On top of that, the Miyazawa hag won't leave us alone!" said Maria, "What the hell is going on!?"

" _That old hag has been a nuisance for us since the moment that family found out their kids were chosen_ ," said Maelstrom, " _Col. Greene would not stop bitching about her in the days leading up to the Zordonian attack."_

"Perfect," said Ritchie, "Somebody hates her more than us."

"Just imagine what Hitomi had to live through," said Maria.

"Can we get back on track?" Sean asked. "This is a big problem!"

" _You might not have even been subject to this serum_!" said Maelstrom.

"And what if we were!?" Sean snapped, "Should Metoxen and I quit the hockey team!?"

" _No! I already said, you don't have that serum in you anymore!_ " Maelstrom replied.

"Why do I get the feeling this isn't the only thing you're trying to hide from us?" said Sean.

" _If we were, you'd know it,_ " said Maelstrom.

"Godjeez, at least Col. Greene was honest with us," said Sean, "Can we please have him back?"

"And that old hag said that one of the serum's side effects was cancer!" said Maria, "Did you give my best friend that serum? Is that where she got her cancer from?"

" _It's possible_ ," Maelstrom admitted, " _The good thing is that those cancers were easy to treat—_ "

"I don't care about that!" Maria snapped, "My best friend had cancer and I never knew about it! I feel horrible!"

" _Calm down, Rangers!_ " said Maelstrom, " _I'm on my way to Madison right now. I'll be there by noon and I'll explain everything._ "

"You'd better," said Sean.

:-:-:-: Power Rangers GPX :-:-:-:

The Rangers were reeling. That was the conclusion Ragnar came up with in the aftermath of the battle with Chee-Tar. The Pink Ranger's sudden breakdown in front of him was a good indication that something was going on. They had no actual spies watching them, but it was easy to tell just from their behavior that they were on the brink. While killing them was not necessary, the window to do so was open. The time to strike was now.

And Túrelie had just the plan. She sat in a meeting with Ragnar, Ingvar, Tiris, Phaedos, Tirna and Floki. She stood and cleared her throat. "I have received word that the director of the human organization SWORD, Tom Maelstrom, is on his way to Madison to meet with the Power Rangers. I believe this gives us a window of opportunity.

"Our strike force will wait for him at the Dane County Regional Airport where his plane is expected to land at noon local time. Our force will ambush him and take him captive. At the same time, we shall kidnap the elf-girl Gina Fox and if we are lucky, the Pink Ranger herself. With these hostages, we will demand that the Rangers surrender or be destroyed."

"And why would hostage-taking be our plan of attack?" Ragnar asked, "I am curious. Perhaps an all-out attack would be better?"

"The Pink Ranger is weak," said Túrelie, "And we have another plan, too. We have obtained some information that should bring down the organization SWORD."

"We are going to expose SWORD's worst secrets," Ragnar concluded, "Good thinking But you have not answered my question: WHY is hostage-taking a better strategy than an all-out attack?"

"The Pink Ranger is their moral center," said Túrelie, "But according to our Zordonian sources, she has massive insecurities and another side of her that is more violent and homicidal than the Red Ranger ever could—"

"Answer. The question."

Túrelie swallowed hard. "Because an all-out attack could only strengthen their resolve."

"I could say the same of hostage-taking," said Ragnar. "And we have already done that."

Túrelie was getting visibly frustrated. "I am  _trying_ , Commander," she replied, "To explain why."

"To be fair, I like your plan and it is obvious you put a lot of work and thought into it," he said, "I just need to know why we should use this plan."

"Because I have been planning this for weeks!" Túrelie replied, "I was not aware of the Rangers' current mental state, but I thought this would be the best way to take them out! And once SWORD's secrets are released, then there is an opening in their despair."

"I do not like your answer," Ragnar said, "But the fact that you stood up to me without fear of potential consequences is praise-worthy. Alright. If you say this is important to you, then you have my permission to go forward with this assault. Of course, getting to taunt SWORD is more than enough incentive for me to approve it. What will your demands be?"

"Since we already know they will not negotiate with us, I plan to demand that they give up their morphers," said Túrelie, "As soon as they refuse, we will release the information."

"You HAVE thought this out," said Ragnar. "A win-win situation! In that case, perhaps I was being too harsh on you."

"Thank you, Commander!" Túrelie saluted.

"Have the Suitroops programmed with the information," he said, "And proceed at will."

:-:-:-: PRGPX :-:-:-:

Nobody really suspected that someone important had landed at Dane County Airport, just that a private jet landed there, like they usually do.

But this was Tom Maelstrom's private plane. And he always took an inconspicuous Lear jet in order to hide under his enemies' noses. It was so obvious it was brilliant.

Maelstrom emerged from the plane, simply looking like some guy who'd won a free trip to Madison in a private plane. Okay, just kidding. He was dressed in his usual SWORD get-up. Since barely anyone knew who he was, he felt at least safe enough to do this.

Some SWORD agents accompanied him to a waiting car. They would take him to the UW campus so he could have his discussion with the Rangers. The Samuel L. Jackson look-a-like saluted his subordinates and began to climb into the back of the car.

That's when he felt someone tapping on his shoulder. He turned around and came face-to-face with a young man wearing a hood. "Director Maelstrom?" the person asked before punching him.

The agents quickly raised their weapons. But a number of Suitroops materialized and attacked them before they could get a shot off. Maelstrom himself pulled out his sidearm and let off a couple shots at the assailant. Said assailant quickly dodged his shots and ran right up to him.

Maelstrom punched the attacker. That seemed to surprise him until Maelstrom kicked the assailant again. A pair of Suitroops ran up and grabbed at him, but he knocked them away. He didn't rise up to be the commander of the top intelligence agency in the world by playing it safe, that's for sure!

But the assailant had enough. He had a job to do. So he walked up to Maelstrom and punched him again. In a daze, Maelstrom could not defend himself against the swarming Suitroops that overwhelmed him and took him by force, shoving him to the ground with his arms tied behind his back.

"What are you planning?" Maelstrom choked out.

The assailant walked up and kicked him in the head. "That's for us to know and you to find out. Take him away!" he said. "I've got the storm under control."

:-:-:-: PRGPX :-:-:-:

It was the lunch period at Madison West High School and the cafeteria was busy. As part of a "lunch and learn" schedule, they had their advisory meetings at noon, which lasted for about 15 minutes, and now it was time to eat. Today's lunch was chicken fingers.

Gina slung her backpack over her shoulder and followed some of her classmates into the cafeteria. Things had been going well today, aside from Hitomi's obvious trouble. But school was important, and Gina was set to graduate in a couple months before heading to UW as a freshman. She still couldn't believe it, even after she got the acceptance letter.

She'd just gotten into the cafeteria when she stopped in front of a miniature lightning storm in the middle of the cafeteria. Other students had ran to escape, and she tried to as well. But she ran right into the Elf general Túrelie. And she was glaring at her. "So you are the species-traitor," she said. She grabbed at Gina, but the younger elf punched the general in the face. "GET HER!"

Several Suitroops had materialized. Gina tried to run amidst the panic and screams, but the crowd was so thick the Suitroops easily caught her and forced her to the ground, binding her arms and legs while she struggled. "LET ME GO!" she screamed.

"We have the deserter," Túrelie said before kicking Gina in the head.

:-:-:-: Power Rangers GPX :-:-:-:

Eventually, Hitomi did leave her room, but it was obvious she was a shell of her former self. She didn't talk much, only staying quiet on her way to, during and from class. Her teachers barely noticed anything, except that she looked like she was miserable. That much was certain, but there was more going on with Hitomi than they knew. And because she wasn't talking, they weren't going to find out any time soon.

She trudged from her classroom building back to Waters Hall slowly and lethargically. People walking by would not have noticed, mainly since there's no possible way to get to know all 40,000+ students on the campus unless you tried to friend every single one of them on Facebook.

Moving on.

She was almost to Waters Hall when she heard the characteristic crackling lighting of elven teleportation. She looked up at Observatory Hill and saw the Elves and Phaedos materializing. "Hey Pink!" Phaedos cried, "Look what we've got!"

Túrelie lifted Gina's beaten and limp form up for Hitomi to see, then dropped the elf-girl, where she kicked her. Hitomi was furious, to say the least. Her expression changed from apathetic to furious in less than a second. With no one around, she grabbed her AcceleKey and jammed it into her morpher. "GPX! Start it up! She cried out.

She morphed and lunged at Phaedos. The Zordonian general went to meet her. She threw the first punch, but he stepped out of the way and kicked her in the stomach. Hitomi fell face-first into the grass. "Come on, get up!" Phaedos taunted.

Htomi growled viciously and got back up. She summoned her Am Staff and swung the blade at Phaedos. Phaedos blocked the attack with his own blade, brought her Staff down and punched her in the visor. She fell backwards a little bit, but kept on attacking. "Is that all you've got?" Phaedos taunted again, "You're a weakling!"

"I'LL KILL YOU!" Hitomi screamed homicidally. Her Am Staff swings were hard and violent, but missed Phaedos every single time. The Zordonian was toying with her, but she was too blinded by rage to see it. "LET MY FRIEND GO!" she screamed again.

"Not happening," Phaedos replied, kneeing her in the stomach. Hitomi back off, then lunged at Phaedos again. She swung the butt of her staff at Phaedos, only for the Jadeite look-a-like to dodge it nonchalantly. In another show of mockery, he pretended to yawn.

"Phaedos, enough toying with her!" Túrelie ordered.

"If you insist," Phaedos sighed. He wound up his fist and punched Hitomi in the stomach. The heiress felt her breath escaping, and felt a hard blow to her back. Phaedos kicked and punched Hitomi until she was laying on the grass, her head uncovered while still gripping the Am Staff.

"HITOMI!" the now-awake Gina screamed.

Phaedos slowly walked up to her and picked her up by the hair. "We've got the princess," he said.

:-:-:-: PRGPX :-:-:-:

"GRAH! I can't believe that old hag!" Sean growled after taking a big sip of PBR. Jimmy sighed and put his Babcock milk down while patting his cousin on the back.

"There, there," he said, "I'm sure she'll leave, soon."

"That old witch threatened to cut us off if we didn't resign," said Sean, "She ain't leaving any time soon, unfortunately."

"Oh, for cryin' out loud," Jimmy sighed, "Is that a way for a guest to treat their host?"

"If Ben Franklin ever met her, he'd change his phrase about dead fish," said Sean, "She'd be a THOUSAND dead fish!"

"Glad I don't have to deal with her," said Jimmy. Sean scoffed.

His morpher began to beep. "Red Ranger," he said, his voice covered up by the noise in Der Rathskellar.

" _We've got a situation_ ," said the SWORD agent, " _Maelstrom, Gina Fox and GPX Pink have been captured and are being held at the top of Bascom Hill._ "

"Shit," Sean groaned, grabbing his coat, "ANOTHER hostage situation?"

"What do you think's going on?" Jimmy asked.

"I dunno, but I'm gonna find out," said Sean, "You get outta here with everyone else." Sean slipped out of the restaurant while everyone else stayed put for now.

He made his way outside and looked for a place to morph. Once he was out of sight, he ducked behind one of the nooks and crannies of the Memorial Union to morph.

He ran up to Bascom Hill, where the other Rangers—Arquen included stopped to meet up with him. They ran up the slope, which was empty, to the last crossing sidewalk until the summit of the hill. There, they saw Floki, Phaedos and Túrelie all standing in front of the Abe Lincoln statue with their hostages. "Hello, Rangers!" Phaedos called, "How are you today?"

Sean growled as he retracted his helmet, but he had an idea. He brought his hand up to his ear and, pretending to cup it, mouthed some words at Phaedos. "HOW… ARE… YOU?" Phaedos said much more loudly, only for Sean to continue his antics.

"I can't hear you!" he whispered, "Come closer!"

"He's trying to trick us," said Phaedos. "Give me the megaphone." Túrelie handed it to him and tossed one to Sean. "Listen up, Rangers!" Phaedos declared, "We have your friends here, so we don't want any games!" He lifted Hitomi up by the hair, causing her to cry out in pain.

" _CHICA_!" Maria screamed. Arquen held her back.

"What is the meaning of this, Túrelie?" Arquen called.

"You know what it is!" Túrelie replied, "But if you want our demands, here they are: That you surrender your morphers and that Project Ranger be disbanded henceforth, or else we will release confidential information that will destroy SWORD and then we will kill these hostages!"

"You're bluffing!" Maelstrom snapped.

:-:-:-: Power Rangers GPX :-:-:-:

Eruvanda used an audio monitor to listen to events going on. She could hear loud and clear just what Túrelie had said, and also knew that Hitomi had been captured. "Mrs. Miyazawa," she said, "I do believe it would be a good idea for you to go over there and negotiate with them."

"Why must I?" Sakura asked.

"Your granddaughter is being held hostage!" Eruvanda replied, "Surely you must be concerned!"

"I am not," Sakura replied, "I refuse to negotiate for Project Ranger."

"But what about your granddaughter?"

"I care not for her! She should never have been a Power Ranger."

Eruvanda focused her most enraged and hate-filled glare at Sakura. "And you call yourself a human?" she asked.

:-:-:-: PRGPX :-:-:-:

"She's throwing Hitomi under the bus!?" Sean snapped, "Are you fucking kidding me!?"

"What, what's wrong?" Maria asked.

"Liz told me the Miyazawa Hag refuses to negotiate for her!"

"What!?"

"Did you hear that?" Phaedos taunted Hitomi, "Your own grandmother is abandoning you!" he shook Hitomi about, making her scream.

"HITOMI!" Gina screamed again.

"It's just as I suspected," Phaedos scoffed, "You're worthless anyway, why should we take you as a hostage?"

"Do that again and I'll break every bone in your body, Phaedos!" Sean shouted.

"And what are you going to do about it?" Phaedos taunted, "That's right, NOTHING!" Sean growled. "Are you willing to negotiate for her!?"

Sean growled again. Phaedos, Túrelie and Floki had put them in a tough spot. It was either give up their powers or let them die and SWORD loses whatever respect they had. But seeing the mistreatment of the hostages made them want to give up.

"DON'T DO IT!" Gina cried, "DON'T WORRY ABOUT-AAH!"

"Be QUIET, species-traitor!" Túrelie said, kicking her.

"LET THEM GO!" Sean screamed.

"And what are you going to do about it?" Túrelie replied, "You did not answer us the first time, why should we care!?"

"You don't know what SWORD has done!" Floki taunted, "Let's see what happens when you find this out: They were going to sell you out—TWICE!"

The Rangers' jaws nearly hit the ground. "Are you kidding me!? Sean shouted, "First the serums and now THIS!?"

"We found that out a couple weeks ago!" said Phaedos, "Turns out Maelstrom had been talking with his subordinates about taking you out of your house and handing you over to the Empire! They even talked about doing the same to Arquen and Eruvanda!"

"No!" Arquen breathed.

"And tht's not the only thing we plan to release!" said Túrelie. "Now hand over your morphers!"

"FUCK SWORD!" Sean replied, "And FUCK YOU!"

"HAHAHAHA! You really ARE that predictable!" Phaedos laughed, causing the Rangers to gasp again. He grabbed his communicator and said, "Release the information to the human media."

"In just a few short hours, every single sin SWORD has ever committed will be the cause of the organization's downfall!" said Túrelie. "And you helped cause it, no thanks to your silly defiance! Good luck fighting us with no backers!"

"DAMMIT!" Sean screamed, kicking the pavement and putting a dent into it, "THEY PLAYED US!"

"And now with that information out of the way, we don't have to worry about this rich little brat anymore!" he said, "Her grandmother's e-mails were right; she had no place on this team, she was just there to satisfy the nepotistic fools at the Miyazawa Company! You ARE a disgrace, Pink! You're the weakest of the weak and the saddest of the sad! You hide behind a façade of happiness, when in fact, you're miserable and depressed! What a joke! I've seen masks more realistic than you are!"

Hitomi wanted to cry. But she didn't. Gina could see the pain in her expression. "Hitomi, it's okay," Gina said calmly, "You can cry if you want to."

Hitomi sniffed and sniffed, holding herself back, until the dam finally burst. For the first time in years, she cried and cried and cried so meaningfully that the other Rangers could only watch sadly. She cried for several moments until she finally stopped, all cried out. "HA! Is that the best you can do!?" Phaedos taunted.

While Phaedos gloated, Hitomi had reached for his sword, which he'd dropped. She brought it up to her and got ready. "What are you doing?" Phaedos asked, "Are you going to strike me? You couldn't tell Red you liked him, you can't even—"

_RrrrrIP!_

With a clean cut, Hitomi chopped off the hair that Phaedos was gripping. The Zordonian stumbled backwards in surprise, and the other Rangers watched with the same surprise. That is, until Sean saw an opening.

"NOW!"

The Rangers lunged at the elves and Zordonian. Sean got to Phaedos first and punched him right in the cheek. Maria tackled Túrelie and Arquen kicked Floki hard. Sean and Phaedos started duking it out in front of the Lincoln Statue while Arquen picked Maelstrom up and led him away from the scene.

Sean wound up his leg and reverse roundhouse kicked Phaedos in the jaw. Maria and Ritchie both punched Túrelie hard in the jaw and stomach, while Kevin tackled Floki.

Phaedos threw Sean off of him and turned angrily towards Hitomi, who was looking out at the Madison skyline. "You little brat," he growled, I'll get you—" Hitomi calmly and swiftly kicked him in the jaw and punched him in the stomach.

"I'm not a brat," she said before kneeing the Zordonian in the stomach.

"RETREAT!" Túrelie called out. She, Phaedos and Floki teleported away.

Sean gingerly got up from his spot and rubbed his now-helmeted head before retracting it. "Damn," he said. "Hitomi, are you—" he stopped and smiled.

Hitomi looked different in more ways than one. Of course her hair was shorter, but now she had a much more confident look. There was still that innocence, but it mixed with tranquil determination and resolve. "I'm dead," she said.

"Uh, no, you're still alive," said Maria.

"The old Hitomi is dead," she replied, "I've made it my new resolve—I don't care about what other people think about me. I don't care if I'm 'weak' or 'useless'. I'm just going to ignore the hate and criticism. I'm my own person. I'm not a failure; I just won't adhere to someone's unrealistic standards of me."

Sean and Maria both laughed. "Nice," said Sean, "I'm glad you're back."

"And you look cute, too," said Gina, "Seriously, I'm digging the new look!" A bit of Hitomi's old self snuck in as she blushed and turned away from Gina.

:-:-:-: Power Rangers GPX :-:-:-:

The news had hit Col. Greene exceptionally fast. SWORD's laundry list of corrupt practices—bribery, kidnapping, extortion, starting wars they were supposed to stop—had been released by Ragnar's goons. And now the fallout was inevitable.

So he picked up the phone and dialed a certain number. "Secretary Moon?" he said, "Do I have your permission? … That does it. Thank you very much, Mr. Secretary. I'll alert them as soon as possible. Thank you very much."

:-:-:-: PRGPX :-:-:-:

Hitomi’s old life lay in a pile of hair at the foot of the Bascom Hill Abe Lincoln statue. Her new life started with the slice of a sword cutting off said hair.

But she was okay. But now the GPX Rangers had a bigger problem on their hands. Their backers, the Strategic Worldwide Organization for Reconnaissance and Defense, just had a laundry list of every single sin they committed in the name of world peace. And their former leader had some ‘splainin’ to do.

“… Sometimes when you get idealistic,” he said, “You sort of get a sense that whatever you’re doing is the right thing. And unfortunately, our internal culture permitted these sorts of acts. In hindsight, you’re right. I should have done something to stop it, but…”

“It’s too late,” said Sean, “You brought this on yourself.”

“You’re right,” said Maelstrom, “Now I gotta pick up the pieces and see if I can put ‘em back together. But I guess I can start by doing the right thing. From this moment, Project Ranger will be jettisoned from SWORD. Good luck to all of you.”

“Thanks, I guess,” Sean said, running his hand through his thick, medium-length brown hair. “So we’re on our own, huh?”

“Oh, I’m sure someone will have something to say about that,” said Maelstrom. “And I know what you’re going to say, but before you do, you should realize that we’re doing this for your protection.”

“Do we have to like it?” Kevin asked.

“No, you don’t,” said Maelstrom.

“That works,” said Sean.

“You sure?” Maelstrom asked.

“I mean, yeah, it’s not like we’re a rudderless ship and our _former_ backers made the fucking CIA look like paragons—sorry, sorry, sorry.”

“Thanks for everything, anyway,” said Maria, “I hope your new organization isn’t as corrupt as the old one.”

“So do I,” said Maelstrom.

“Let’s get back to the McMansion,” said Sean, “We’ve got an Old Hag to toss out.” The Rangers turned and walked down the empty Bascom Hill, leaving Maelstrom to his own thoughts.

Despite chasing the elves and that bastard Phaedos away, there was the stinging feeling that they had lost. It wasn’t a groundless feeling, what with losing a vital support network that only a few Power Rangers teams ever had, and possibly losing the fragile credibility they’d built up since they got it back after being viciously attacked by Fox News last July in Florida.

But on the other hand, they freed the hostages and their Pink Ranger overcame her massive insecurities.

“We’re gonna have to take you to a barber, Hitomi,” said Sean.

“Why?” the heiress asked.

“Because that ragged look is not working for you, _chica_ ,” said Maria. “Keep the hair do, we just have to clean it up.”

“Oh, okay,” said Hitomi. “But Gina said it looked cute.”

“And it does!” Maria replied, “What, are you nervous? I thought you said the old you was dead!”

“She is dead!” Hitomi replied, “I’ve changed!”

“But we like you so sweet and innocent!” said Gina.

“Hey, she says she’s gonna stand up for herself more,” said Ritchie, “Isn’t that changing?”

“But I wanna change,” Hitomi whined.

“Hitomi,” Gina said, throwing her arm around her best friend, “Change doesn’t always happen overnight. But if you work hard at it, then it will come. Just don’t change TOO much, because I like you the way you are—innocent, loving and energetic.”

“Watch out Hitomi, I think she _liiikes_ you!” Maria teased.

“Maria, stooop!” Sean moaned. “I thought I told you—“

“What, what do you mean?” Hitomi asked.

“Oh, uh, nothing!” he lied. He whispered to Maria, “This is _your_ fault.”

“MY fault?” she asked innocently, “Why, whatever do you mean?”

“Yeah, what do you mean?” asked Gina.

“Gina, I’m sure, Hitomi’s glad you’re alright,” said Maria, earning an elbow from her boyfriend to her arm.

“I am,” Hitomi said. Maria slowed down and waited for everyone else to move past her, then pushed them all away from the heiress and elf-girl, much to their confusion. “I’m… sorry I couldn’t do much.”

“What the hell are you doing!?” Sean snapped.

“Shut up and let them have a moment!” Maria hissed.

“What could possibly go wrong?” Kevin asked.

“You, that’s what!”

“Um, what’s going on?” Gina asked.

“I don’t know,” Hitomi replied. “But I’m sorry I couldn’t have done more to help.”

“Don’t beat yourself up,” said Gina, “I’m just glad you tried. But… I was so worried for you.”

“HITOMI, WE GOT AN OLD HAG TO DEAL WITH, MOVE YOUR ASS!!!”

“I’M COMING, SEAN!” Hitomi yelled back.

“Wow,” said Gina, “That was awesome!”

“Oh, uh, thanks,” Hitomi said.

To her surprise, Gina hugged the Pink Ranger tightly and while she froze for a moment, she quickly hugged her friend back. “I was so scared,” said Gina, “Thanks so much for helping me.”

“ANYTHING for a friend,” Hitomi replied.

Gina laughed. “You WERE listening earlier,” she said.

Neither of them noticed that Sean was pushing Maria away from the two while she fawned over their tender hug.

“You need to let go, Hitomi,” said Gina, “You’ve got a grandma to deal with.”

“Of course!” Hitomi said, “ _YOSH_! I’m ready!” She made a gesture like she was polishing her bicep and ran off to join her other friends.

“Good luck,” Gina said, “You’re already amazing to me.”

:-:-:-: Power Rangers GPX :-:-:-:

They returned several minutes later. Eruvanda was thrilled to see them alive, but not so much Sakura. But when she got a look at Hitomi's new haircut, the first sign of shock appeared in her expression. "Hitomi," she said, "What is the meaning of this?"

"Grandmother, I would appreciate it if you could please leave," Hitomi said. "I have had enough of you here, and because you obviously don't care about me, it's best that you leave me alone."

"Not until you answer my question!"

"The old Hitomi is dead," she replied, "I cannot hide behind a façade of happiness anymore. And I want you to know, that you are a horrible excuse for a human being."

"Watch your tongue!" Sakura replied.

"NO!" Hitomi replied, "YOU are a bitter, racist and bigoted old woman who doesn't care about anyone but your foolish pride! I'm done listening to you! It's because of you and your abuse that I ended up like this in the first place! You are not the boss of me now!"

" _And you're not so biiig!_ " Sean and Ritchie sang.

"What are you saying, Hitomi?"

"We want you to leave us alone," said Hitomi, "Our mission to save the Earth is more important than your pride. Please; leave us alone."

"Well then," said Sakura, "I suppose I will be going now. But good luck with your mission, now that you have no backers!"

"Who gives a shit?" Sean asked, "SWORD didn't care about us, anyway! Besides, I can already tell someone's gonna come to our rescue!"

"We shall see about that," Sakura said as she walked out of the house. Once she was gone, the Rangers celebrated and cheered for Hitomi.

:-:-:-: PRGPX :-:-:-:

Sean VO: "Next time, on Power Rangers GPX Supercharged!"

Col. Greene: "Project Ranger is in new hands."

Ritchie: "I just feel so…"

Janet: "You're better than that."

Sean: "We lost."

Ritchie: "I fight for…"

Ragnar: "The endgame is upon us."

Sean VO: That's next time, on Power Rangers GPX Supercharged!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SO HOW WAS THAT!?
> 
> I guess I could call this chapter "Hitomi's Finest Hour", but I liked the current name. Hitomi has been underutilized, but I felt like I needed some character development for her. And given how many people seem to like her, it was only natural for me to focus on her.
> 
> Sakura was created so that she could be hated, and from what it sounds like, I succeeded. I rarely ever do that, but knowing that it worked is good enough for me. As for SWORD, since they were inspired by Marvel Comics' SHIELD, it was only natural that I have them be a little shady when it comes to their business practices.
> 
> So please, tell me what you think!


	16. I Fight for My Tribe

Kevin VO: "Last time on  _Power Rangers GPX Supercharged_!"

Gina: "You mean so much to me, Hitomi."

Sean: "At least Col. Greene was honest with us."

Maelstrom: "I'm on my way to Madison right now. I'll be there by noon and I'll explain everything _._ "

Túrelie: "I plan to demand that they give up their morphers. As soon as they refuse, we will release the information."

Hitomi: "LET MY FRIEND GO!"

Sakura: "I refuse to negotiate for Project Ranger."

Túrelie: "Every single sin SWORD has ever committed will be the cause of the organization's downfall! And you helped cause it, no thanks to your silly defiance!"

( _Hitomi cuts her hair, releasing herself from Phaedos's grip and the Rangers use this opportunity to attack_ )

Hitomi: "The old Hitomi is dead."

Power Rangers GPX Supercharged, episode 39: I Fight for my Tribe

:-:-:-: We're the best chance for humanity, Pow-wer Rang-gers G-P-X, let's go! :-:-:-:

SWORD was in shambles. The carefully-planned release of the organization's many sins had sent the media into a firestorm. The first program to be cut was Project Ranger, which for the moment, had no command structure, support or backing. After that, the long list of the organization's abuses sent it into a tailspin that essentially doomed the first worldwide intelligence organization.

There were two more attacks on the rudderless Power Rangers afterwards, but they managed to fight them off. The Project's staffers did their best to support the team despite the dwindling funds and lack of help.

Thankfully, that help was on the way.

The Project's Arlington headquarters got a bit of a surprise when a limo rolled up in front of it. A familiar face exited the car and strode up to the door and came in without so much as an introduction. But they knew who it was. And the buzz that spread through headquarters was excited.

Col. Alan Greene was back.

"Col. Greene!" A lieutenant saluted, "It is an honor, sir!"

"At ease, soldier," the colonel replied, "I understand you've been facing tough times."

"Without SWORD, we're like a rudderless boat," said the lieutenant.

"No need to worry, son," Col. Greene replied. "I'd like to address the Project as a whole. Are the Rangers out of class?"

"They're on Spring Break," said the lieutenant, "They're still in Madison."

"Good," he said. "Patch me through to everyone." The lieutenant nodded and Col. Greene cleared his throat.

"Ready when you are, sir."

"Attention members of Project Ranger," he said, "This is United States Army Colonel Alan Greene. I understand that the last few days have been difficult for all of you. I'm here to tell you that your worries are over.

"In the wake of SWORD's collapse, the United Nations and United States Department of Homeland Security have agreed to step in and rescue the Project. As of this moment, Project Ranger is in new hands. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon and President Obama have agreed to re-install me as commander of Project Ranger. I know a lot of you have fond memories of UN command. I can assure you that we will do our best.

"To the Rangers—we understand your struggle. You have been lied to by leaders who did not care for you and saw you only as a tool. I know you better than that. You are paragons of humanity. It is because of you that humans have a symbol of hope for the future. And thanks to your forgiveness of the Elf-Queen Eruvanda, you have shown that humans and elves can live peacefully.

"As such, our mission is one of defense, not aggression. President Obama and Secretary General Moon agree with me. Both have agreed to declare that the elves are not the enemy of humanity, and humans are not the enemy of the elves. We want peace! And to do that, we will stop Ragnar from committing genocide! We both share the same planet—our future is the same as the elves'. It is only through cooperation that we can solve these problems.

"Until peace is finally won, I expect nothing but the best from every single one of you. To the Rangers; I know you are stressed, and I know it is difficult; but I have absolute faith in every single one of you, too, and as a team. I know what you are capable of and I KNOW you WILL succeed. Thank you. That is all, and as you were."

:-:-:-: PRGPX :-:-:-:

"Thank you, SIR!" Sean declared. He switched off his morpher and turned to the Rangers seated at the kitchen table. "Looks like the Good Colonel's back in charge. You guys… OI! Metoxen! You alright?"

"We just got in from Colorado last night after that  _loss_ ," Ritchie replied, "What do you think?"

"Don't remind me," Sean groaned. The Badger hockey team lost their WCHA playoff series against the Colorado College Tigers, effectively eliminating them from making it back to the NCAA Tournament. This was a team that went to the national championship game a year before, only to lose to Boston College. "We lost… UGH. I can't get that bad taste out of my mouth."

"Easy for you to say," said Ritchie.

"Hey, take it easy," said Sean, "I have to clean my locker with the empty feeling of defeat too, y'know."

"Right, right, it's just…" Ritchie sighed and several emotions played out on his face that was obvious for everyone there.

"You had a lot of pressure on you, didn't you?" Maria asked.

"Why'd you want to play college hockey?" Ritchie asked.

"Because I wanted to go to the NHL!" Sean replied, "And yes, since I share his last name, in the words of Jack O'Callahan, I wanted to win a national championship!"

"Hey, can we please not get into any ridiculous fights?" Kevin asked. "Just because hockey season is over doesn't give you two permission to renew your silly rivalry!"

"Why'd YOU want to play college hockey, Metoxen?" Sean continued, causing Kevin to facepalm.

"Because I want to go to the NHL, too!" Ritchie replied, "Do you have to make everything about me?"

"Guys, GUYS!" Maria said as she stood up, pushing Sean away, "You two were getting along so well before, now you're at each other's throats, it's like… I don't know what the word is, but it's stupid."

"I don't think his frustration has to do with hockey," said Kevin, "Or at least the season's end has made it worse."

"Are you alright, Metoxen?" Maria asked.

"I dunno, I just feel so…" The Oneida Rocket groaned while sitting back in his seat. There was stress on his face, and it just wasn't from his Ranger duties. "My mom called me and told me grandma was devastated. She always wanted to see an Indian winning a national championship."

"If it makes you feel any better, there were probably 20 other grandmas who were disappointed," said Maria.

"I just feel so… useless!" Now THAT'S a feeling ANYONE of ANY background can relate to.

" _OOOOHHHHHHH!_ " Everyone went.  _NOW_ it made sense.

"I'm a disappointment to my family, I'm a disappointment to my Tribe—"

" _NOOO! NOOO!_ " the others went.

"In the end, it's just a game!" Maria said, "I'm sure they're proud of you, no matter what!"

"I think this has little to do with the game and more to do with his own insecurities," said Kevin.

"How would you know that?" Ritchie asked, "You're not a shrink."

"I've been around these blokes long enough to know a thing or two about them," said Kevin, "And insecurity tends to pop up every now and then. Just look at Hitomi."

"Are you just good with people?" Maria asked.

"It's a talent."

"Yeah, but there's more than that," said Ritchie. And everyone could see, as plain as day, the pressures of being Native American at a major university in the modern era… as well as something else.

"It's this Ranger thing, isn't it?" Sean asked. "Do you want to quit?"

"Who gave you that idea?"

"Just asking!"

"Yeah, I'd say it has something to do with Ranger duty," said Kevin.

"Why didn't you say anything?" Sean asked.

"Because I didn't know what to say!" Ritchie replied, "I wasn't sure if I should admit it or not."

"No worries," said Sean, "Ndebele and just about everyone else had doubts."

"Have you?" Ritchie asked.

"Metoxen, you don't spend almost a year doing this job without having some kind o' doubt," said Sean, "It's just that I got over mine a long time ago."

"Not really," said Maria.

"… I guess you're right," he said. "But my point still stands."

"Of course," she replied.

Ritchie wasn't sure if it was much help. They could ask him and he could tell exactly the reason he was feeling useless, but there was more to it than they could understand. Plus, while he can be sarcastic just like the rest of them, sometimes he couldn't think of the right words to describe what he was feeling.

"Sorry guys," he said, "But I don't think you can help me." He got up, grabbed his coat from the foyer and walked out with everyone watching silently.

"You're welcome," said Sean.

:-:-:-: Power Rangers GPX :-:-:-:

"Alan Greene is back in control of the Project?" Ragnar asked.

"Yes, sir," said Ingvar, "Intelligence says that Col. Greene met with American President Barack Obama and United Nations Secretary-General Ban-Ki Moon over the weekend to discuss Project Ranger. The United Nations was the Project's original backers."

"Of course, I knew that," said Ragnar.

"Our spies said that they intend to undermine our crusade," said Ingvar, "They will tell the world that elves and humans are not enemies."

Ragnar scoffed. "Was that intended to be a joke?" he asked, "Because it was too ridiculous not to be!"

"I believe they were serious," said Ingvar.

"Then how is that not a joke!?" Ragnar laughed again, "Humans and elves cannot live together. That is why it is God's Will that we continue this Crusade until the humans are no longer a threat to our planet! How do they intend to do this? "

"I do know," said Ingvar, "They will say you are a threat to the entire world."

"HA!" Ragnar laughed again. "They are worse than the court jester! No matter. The endgame is upon us."

"… About that," said Ingvar. Ragnar glared at Ingvar. "We… have suffered a setback. Before we released the information, SWORD managed to learn about some of our activity and they moved to stop it. We were able to destroy most of the information before they arrived, but they did considerable damage to our operations. It will take some time before we are finished with that."

"DAMN!" Rangar roared. "Argh, I must keep control. Did they inform the Power Rangers?"

"They were  _going_ to," said Ingvar, "But the organization's collapse prevented that information from getting out at first. When they attempted to get it to them, we were able to intercept it."

"In that case, it seems we have caught a break," said Ragnar, "As long as it gets done, I am willing to suffer minor setbacks. After all, nothing works perfectly. Tell them to continue the operations."

"Yes, sir!"

:-:-:-: PRGPX :-:-:-:

"You really think that about yourself?"

"Why do you ask?"

"Because you didn't seem to think that way!" Janet replied. The Mohawk figure skater adjusted her shoulder bag and sighed. Some clouds escaped her lips in the still-cold air (it was supposed to be warmer by St. Patrick's Day, though). She rubbed her mouth and thought about what she was going to say next. She wasn't a Power Ranger and she wasn't exactly in his shoes. She didn't really know what to say in this situation.

The only thing that even came close was when she competed in Torino 5 years ago.

"If you're not gonna help me—"

"No, no, I WANT to help!" she said, "I just don't know what to say!"

"Isn't there something?" he asked.

"Well, um," she thought for a moment, fiddling with her earrings.

"I mean, what if—what if I let someone down?"

Janet looked right up from the ground and gazed at him with surprise. She thought again and came to the obvious realization. "Oh, I get it!" she said, "You think that because you lost that hockey game, you're a failure!"

"I am not!"

"You should've seen me after I placed sixth in Torino," she said, "I felt like I let everyone down. Then my mom and grandma gave me a big hug when I got back to Hamilton."

"Thanks, but I don't think—"

"Ritchie, you're better than that," said Janet, "Do you really feel useless as a Power Ranger?"

"Well, I—" He sighed again. "I…"

"Just say it."

"Yes."

"Oh, for cryin' out loud," she said. "I'm not even a Power Ranger and I can understand how big this is!"

"It's complicated!"

"No, it's not," she replied, "You have all this pressure on you and because you lost a hockey game you feel like you let everyone down! I know, I went through that myself. But then my parents told me they were proud of me, not just for making it that far, but for representing EVERYONE on an international stage. Okay, you're more national, but, whatever."

"How is this supposed to help?"

"I'm trying!" Janet replied. "Um, who do you fight for?"

"Duh, the Power Rangers," he replied.

"Too obvious," she said, making him sit down on the bench they got to, "I'm looking for a different answer."

"What do you mean?"

"Who… do… you… fight… for?" she asked.

"Humanity?" he asked. The look on her face told him she knew the answer was coming, but,

"Wrong answer," she said, crossing her arms, "It just sounds like some hoser who doesn't know what he wants and is making something up just so he can squirrel his way out of it."

"But I am!" he replied.

"No fucking shit!" she replied, "But you don't know every single person on earth, how are you going to fight for them? I'm not saying it's bad, but, you need better motivation."

"Like what?"

"You already told me who you play hockey for," she said, bending down and gently squeezing his hand, "Now you just need to take that hockey motivation and turn it into Ranger motivation."

"But I—"

"Quit doubting yourself!" she said, firmly but gently, "You've been doing this for MONTHS and you're just starting to doubt yourself NOW? I KNOW you're better than this. I know that when you're motivated, you're unstoppable. And I KNOW you can represent your family AND your—sorry, OUR—people as the Gold Ranger. Of course, there's also a more immediate motivation."

"You?"

"Aw, thanks!" she giggled, "But other than me, who?"

"My—" he looked up in time to see several Suitroops materializing in the intersection, along with a robotic leader. He immediately stood up and faced the enemies.

" _I knew there was a Ranger in this vicinity_ ," Ragnar's voice said through the robot, " _Turns out I was correct."_

Ritchie scoffed and let go of Janet's hands. The Oneida Rocket glanced at the Mohawk figure skater and a silent conversation took place between the two of them. Janet started to back away, nodding her head and took off.

" _AFTER HER!_ " Ragnar shouted.

"GPX, START IT UP!" Ritchie morphed and lunged at the first Suitroop that moved towards Janet, punching its head into oblivion. The next one that pointed its energy staff at her found its arm grabbed and pointed at the sky before it could shoot its deadly blast. "I'm not letting that happen again!" He elbowed the Suitroop's elbow, breaking the robot's arm off.

The lead robot lunged at Ritchie. Ritchie kicked the robot in the head. A Suitoop rushed up to him. He ducked and kicked the robot in the shins, tripping it up and sending it into a melting snowbank.

Ritchie instinctively wiped his faceplate off, then realized he didn't need to. He probably looked stupid. But he did put his dukes back up, staying in between the robot and Janet. A quick check behind him saw that Janet was out of sight. She'd gotten away. Phew!

" _BLAST!_ " Ragnar's voice breathed. " _No matter. He is alone, easy to overwhelm. GET HIM!_ "

The Suitroops drew their swords and energy staffs. Ritchie summoned his Gold Axe. The Suitroops rushed him. He whacked the first one that came near him. He kicked another one and punched the one after that. He kicked a Suitroop away, then jumped to avoid another one.

The robot saw its opening and lunged at him. He stepped out of the way but caught the edges of the robot's attack. Ritchie hopped away after getting clipped and almost got caught by a Suitroop. But he grabbed the Suitroop and threw it down to the ground in front of him. He chopped the Suitroop's chest into two pieces.

The robot leader charged Ritchie Again. The Gold Ranger held his axe up like he would a baseball bat and swung the axe, burying it into the robot's chest. Sparks jumped around, telling Ritchie he must've hit something important, or it was just some metal grinding on metal.

Ritchie pulled the axe out of the robot and chopped down on the robot again. The robot shoved him aside. He whacked the robot again and fell down.

" _You are good, Gold Ranger_ ," said Ragnar's voice. " _But you are still a failure_."

"Do you say that to everyone?" Ritchie asked.

" _Of course!_ "

"Then I guess I don't have to listen!" Ritchie replied.

The robot lunged at Ritchie, grabbing him and tossing him into the snowbank where the other Suitroop was.

Ritchie groaned as a Suitroop reached for him. The next thing he knew, a plasma blast struck the Suitroop and knocked it back, followed by an arrow.

" _FAUGH A BALLAGH_!" the other Rangers raced to the scene, Kevin with his Touring Rifle pointed at the enemy and Hitomi nocking another arrow into her drawstring.

Ritchie wasted no time hitting the Suitroop in front of him to finish it off. He got up and ran up to the robot, yelling and chopping the robot.

" _You are persistent!_ " Ragnar's voice said. " _Although that should not be a surprise_."

"No duh," said Sean. He summoned the GT Sword and lunged at the robot. The robot held him off, pushing him backwards. Ritchie found an opening and went back at the robot, burying the blade of the axe into the robot's arm. It tried to move its arm, but couldn't. Ritchie had buried it deep enough that it damaged the robot's wiring.

Hitomi raised her bow up and took aim. She let an arrow loose that embedded itself in the robot's head. The robot jerked forward, turned around and tried to lunge at Hitomi. Ritchie grabbed the robot's arm and held it back.

" _What do you think you are doing!?_ " Ragnar shouted.

"What does it look like I'm doing!?" Ritchie replied.

" _That is not what I meant!_ " Ragnar said.

Ritchie didn't bother to let Ragnar finish. He elbowed the robot in the head and kicked at it.

Sean rushed in. "GT STRIKE!" He took a big cut that pushed the robot backwards into the intersection. Maria jumped up, punched the robot and landed behind it. She kicked the robot in the back. Sean took the GT Sword and thrust it into the robot's body.

The tip of the blade barely erupted from the robot's back. Sean tried to twist the sword in, but the robot grabbed his hands and pushed/pulled the sword out. The robot pushed him to the ground when the sword was out.

Sparks erupted from the robot again. Arquen and Kevin shot the robot a number of times while Maria picked Sean up off the ground.

The robot turned to the Blue and Green Rangers, attempting to lunge at them. Instead, Ritchie and Hitomi punched the robot in the head.

The robot was heavily damaged. It must've been one of the weaker ones that Ragnar had sent. But even then, this robot was still incredibly tough to beat. It raised its arm up and pointed it at the Rangers. The distinctive blue glow of the energy blasts lit up. "Oh, shit… SCATTER!" Sean shouted.

The robot fired the energy blast at the Rangers. They all jumped out of the way. The blast just missed them, but blew up a car about 20 feet away. The owner's not gonna like that! At least he'll be compensated.

"Shit, I forgot," said Sean. "Alright, surround him!"

The Rangers all fanned out and surrounded the robot. There was no place for it to go now. "Alright, GET 'IM!"

Ritchie took the opportunity and ran up to the robot. He raised the axe and brought it down on the robot's right arm, which fired the energy blast. "GOLDEN CHOP!" With one swift chop, he removed the robot's arm with little effort. Ragnar's voice yelled from the robot.

" _EXCELLENT WORK!_ " A familiar voice said into their in-helmet communicator.

"Col. Greene?" Sean asked, his voice showing his relief, "It's good to have you back, sir!"

" _It's good to_ be _back, Red_ ," said Col. Greene. " _But you've still got work to do. And you can't let Gold tire himself out!_ "

Ritchie was still fighting the robot himself. But now it was going to be different. "Arquen, look for a weak spot!" Sean ordered, "Kevin, Hitomi, keep the robot at bay!"

"Got it!" Hitomi said, nocking another arrow into her bowstring and letting it fly. The arrow struck the robot again, right as Arquen jammed his sword into the spot where the robot's kidney would be (if it had one). The robot jerked and shuddered, meaning that Arquen's blade had found a good spot to cut off some important wiring.

Ritchie took his Golden Axe and converted it into a blaster. As Kevin fired a couple more shots, he took aim at the 'bot's head. One shot destroyed the head, leaving it blind and unable to taunt the Rangers anymore.

"OUTSTANDING!" Sean shouted. "It's time to finish this! Keys out, SUPERCHARGE!"

The Rangers pulled their keys out, jammed them into their weapons and aimed at the robot. Ritchie pressed a switch on the Gold Axe, instead. "FIRE!" The Rangers, except for Sean, released their attacks on the helpless robot. Sean raised the GT Sword above his head as the blade began to glow a bright red. "GT STRIKE!" Sean swung down and finished the robot off, his sword beam cutting right through the robot and slicing it in two.

There was no explosion, just a deactivated robot literally splitting into two pieces in the middle of the intersection. The sound of the police sirens alerted the Rangers, telling them it was time to leave now.

They de-morphed on the way back to the McMansion. They ran into Janet along the way, who'd come back for a bit so she could meet back up with them. Of course, she kept her distance from the fighting, since it's the smart thing to do.

"You'll all be happy to know that Ritchie is feeling better," she said proudly, "Thanks to me."

"You're sure of yourself," Maria laughed.

"Why, thanks you, Maria!" Janet replied.

"Well, I noticed that Metoxen was fighting out of his mind," said Sean, "That's probably the best I've ever seen him!"

"Yeah, well, I think I found my motivation," said Ritchie.

"Oh, yeah?" Sean asked, "What is it?"

"I know who I fight for," said Ritchie. "I fight for my friends—you guys and everyone else—my family, my tribe, my people, Janet, and of course, myself."

"That's always great motivation," said Kevin, "I guess you'll be taking that pressure on you and putting it towards something positive."

"That's what I'm going to try," he said, "If I can make some kid on the Rez proud of me, I know I'll have done a great job."

"That brings secret identity stuff into the mix, but that's still a good idea," said Sean.

"Shut up, O'Callahan."

:-:-:-: Power Rangers GPX :-:-:-:

Arquen VO: "Forthcoming on  _Power Rangers GPX Supercharged_!"

Sean: "It's St. Patrick's Day!"

UN Agent: "We got a call from the Dells."

Eruvanda: "What do you mean?"

Arquen: "Answer me!"

Kevin: "I can't believe it!"

Eruvanda: "What do you say?"

Arquen: "That is forthcoming on  _Power Rangers GPX Supercharged_!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so how was this?
> 
> If you recall, Ritchie is Native American. That's pretty obvious in the text, but there's more. Ritchie was meant to be a subversion of Native American stereotypes, like the "mystical Indian" (which I hate) and present him as well, A HUMAN FUCKING BEING. To that end, I read some Sherman Alexie, arguably the best American Indian writer today, to get an idea of what it was like to be Native in the modern world. I got more than I bargained for, and in a good way.
> 
> But it became pretty obvious that no matter how much I tried to get an idea, I could not actually understand what it's like to be Native American. As a writer, I try to be limitless, but let's be clear. Sometimes, I have limits, too. I'll never know what it's like to grow up in a third-world life in a first-world country or experience crushing racism in the land of my ancestors. I couldn't portray it without screwing up in some way, so that fear of screwing up made it difficult to write this.
> 
> But a little subtlety goes a long way. So instead of being preachy, I decided to allude to the struggles of Native Americans, and I probably will keep doing that in future chapters. I didn't want to be preachy. But I also don't want to pretend those struggles don't exist, because let's face it; Indian poverty is a black eye in the US and it's about time we did something about it. That's why having Ritchie in this is important for any Native American readers.
> 
> … And now I realized that I was in fact, getting preachy. Figures. Of course, there ARE also a lot of Native Americans who are pretty well off (Ritchie included).
> 
> Also, Ritchie and Janet are dating and Janet skated for Team Canada at the 2006 Torino Winter Olympics. Just wanted to make that clear.
> 
> However, I still hope you enjoyed this chapter and Ritchie's character development! Please, read and review!


	17. Sinne Fianna Fáil

Maria VO: "Last time on  _Power Rangers GPX Supercharged_!"

Col. Greene: "As of this moment, Project Ranger is in new hands."

Sean: "OI! Metoxen! You alright?"

Ritchie: "I just feel so… useless!"

Ingvar: "They will tell the world that elves and humans are not enemies."

Ragnar: "They are worse than the court jester!"

Janet: "Quit doubting yourself!"

Ritchie: "I know who I fight for."

Power Ranger GPX Supercharged, episode 40: Sinne Fianna Fáil

:-:-:-: We're the best chance for humanity, Power Rangers G-P-X, let's go! :-:-:-:

It was St. Patrick's Day at the Ranger House. And of course, the place was in a festive mood.

Traditional Irish music played from Kevin's iPhone while partygoers sat around and talked. All the partygoers, save for Rob, Bridget and Gina, were Project Ranger trainees. The Rangers had been able to locate them and inform them of their status as Ranger trainees. This was sort of a way for all the Project Ranger trainees to get to know each other.

There were, of course, exceptions. Ja'Marcus Williams, who was on the basketball team, was a no-show because of the team's NCAA tourney schedule. A couple of others were also missing due to it being the week of Spring Break.

Still, a good time was being had by all, and alcohol was being passed around. But here too, there were exceptions. Ritchie and Janet, who didn't want to become a statistic, Amir Mohammed, a practicing Muslim, Gina and Hitomi, who are both underage, were served non-alcoholic beverages like tea, coffee or soda pop. That also included some designated drivers, like Bridge.

Despite being Irish himself, Sean was busy in the kitchen working on the snacks and checking on the food that Bridge had brought with her, except for the corned beef. Maria was taking care of that.

"Maria, have you ever celebrated St. Patrick's Day?" Janet asked, walking into the kitchen to get some more coffee.

"No," Maria replied, "Never saw the need. What about you?"

"Not really, but I once marched in the Toronto parade," said Janet, "That was after the Torino Olympics of course."

"You were in the Olympics!?" Maria said, "Did you win?"

"I finished sixth," Janet said sadly.

"Oh, that's too bad," said Maria.

"Well, the competition was just better," said Janet.

"But what was it like?" Maria asked.

"First, everything you hear on TV about how excited the athletes are is true," Janet answered. "I remember that it was really cold the night of the Opening Ceremonies, but I was sweating worse than my dad after a short bike ride. Skating was worse. I almost panicked on my first short program jump. Luckily I didn't fall, but the judges must not've liked it. Thankfully, my free skate was almost flawless, but I wasn't good enough to even medal."

"Wow," Maria said, leaning on the counter, completely enthralled by Janet's story. "I don't know if I could've done that."

"Well I've skated in competitions before," Janet chuckled. "I was able to remind myself and calm down."

"Hey, can you two help me get the snacks into the TV room?" Sean asked, putting his tweed flat cap back on his head and grabbing a plate of corned beef and rye bread.

"Sure," said Maria.

"Thanks, babe," said Sean. "Wait, what's wrong?"

"You're seriously making me do this?" she asked. "Why am I doing this?"

"Oh, sorry babe," said Sean, "What do you want to do?"

"I want to play hostess," she said.

"Done," he replied, "We can co-host! I'll be Regis, you be Kelly!"

"That'll work," she said.

"You're in a good mood," said Janet.

"It's St. Patrick's Day!" said Sean. "Of course I'm in a good mood! By the way Maria, you know part of the hostess's job is to serve the guests, right?"

"Whatever."

The TV room was the center of the festivities. Many of the partygoers were dressed in green, save for the ones who didn't really have any incentive to (including Amir). "OI!" Maria called, "More snacks!" The other partygoers quickly moved to get said snacks.

Kevin adjusted his own flat cap and opened up his flute case while Ritchie came down with the one he used to court Janet with back in Part 1. He tuned it while Kevin did the same with his. The other music had been turned off so they could work on their instruments.

At the same time, Janet nudged Maria to point at Gina and Hitomi seated off to the side. Her confusion was only worsened by the knowing and sly smile on Maria's face. "I don't want to know what you're thinking," Janet sighed.

Of course, during this time the music was off, Sean turned on his own iPhone in Daisuke's earshot and started playing Dropkick Murphys' latest pro-union song. He pretended not to notice anything while Daisuke glared at him.

"Please turn that off so we don't start a fight," said Kevin. Sean turned it off, but reluctantly.

So instead he picked himself up and plopped himself down on the couch so he could give AJ a little bit of corned beef as a treat. The beagle was wearing a leprechaun hat, but that was the only leprechaun-themed outfit here.

"Alright, could I have your attention, please?" Kevin called. "I'd like to thank everyone for being here, and I'm glad us Project Ranger trainees could finally meet! Now, if you'll allow us, Ritchie and I would like to play a song for you on our flutes. Elizabeth, could you please sing for us?"

"I would be honored," Eruvanda said, her ears fully exposed to everyone. She stood and walked in front of Kevin and Ritchie. Kevin played a song on his iPhone for the beat and the rest of the music, but had the important parts (including the vocals) removed.

Despite not being shown, Kevin and Ritchie had been rehearsing their flute playing and so when they started playing, it sounded great. And when Eruvanda started singing, it took their breath away.

It hasn't been mentioned yet, but being Elven royalty, Eruvanda was indeed taught how to sing. Now, is it important for the story? Not really, but as a bit of world-building, members of the Elven royalty are taught musical arts—instruments and otherwise. Eruvanda is no exception. And being 40 years old, but appearing to be in her 20s, Eruvanda had a bit of a head start to perfect her craft.

To put it simply, her voice was beautiful. Singing a song about nostalgia and homesickness, she managed to turn it into something else. Her captivated audience stayed silent until the song finished and applauded when she was done.

"Thank you all very much," she said, a blush creeping onto her features.

"You can sit down now," Kevin said, "Take a break!"

Eruvanda nodded and sat down next to her VERY proud lover, hiding her face in the crook of his neck out of sheer embarrassment.

Meanwhile, Sean could see Maria glaring at Daisuke, who was glaring at Hitomi and Gina. Amir had a more confused look on his face, but Maria obviously didn't like it, anyway. He placed his hand on her shoulder, looked into her eyes and shook his head.

Jimmy walked in between them though, holding his Harp lager glass precariously so that he didn't spill it onto his Toronto St. Pats (the former name of the Toronto Maple Leafs) jersey. "I've been talking to some of these guys," he said, "I think I might be able to start my own team!"

"You think so?" Sean asked. "With who?"

"Well, I think Shevs is a good start," said Jimmy, "And maybe that Amir guy."

"You wanna be Red, don't ya?" Sean quipped.

"Hellz ya," said Jimmy.

"I told Rich Boy last year, leaders aren't chosen, they're made," said Sean. "Or was that heroes? Ah, well, you get my point, right?"

"Yep," said Jimmy. "By the way, I didn't know Liz could sing."

"That's because you don't have her as a roommate," said Maria.

"Whatever," Jimmy said.

The afternoon wore on and some of the party guests began to leave early. Kevin gestured to Eruanda and brought her over to him. He whispered something into her ear and she nodded along. "Well, since everyone's going to leave so soon, I thought we might play a song I wrote," said Kevin.

"Yeah, and I want to thank everyone for coming and enjoying a St. Paddy's Day with us!" said Sean.

"That being said, Liz has a song we wrote that we'd like to sing," said Kevin. "Take it away!" Kevin started playing his flute at a peaceful tempo while Eruvanda cleared her throat to sing

" _May the road rise to meet you_  
And the wind be always at your back  
But if there's one thing I've learned  
Before I go and fade to black

 _Never take your love for granted_  
Be it friend or something more  
I'll always hold them close  
And cherish them forevermore

 _My dear friends and comrades hear my words_  
And raise your glasses skyward  
Drink to fellowship and solidarity  
Always keep the bonds of familiarity  
Close to your heart as time goes on

 _We've traveled long and far_  
We've fought and bled for each other  
But never once did I ever doubt  
That we'd force ourselves further

 _We few, we happy few, standing tall_  
Forever bound by our common goal  
No matter what may hinder our way  
Will always keep you and I whole

 _My dear friends and comrades hear my words_  
And raise your glasses skyward  
Drink to fellowship and solidarity  
Always keep the bonds of familiarity  
Close to your heart as time goes on"

The song finished and Eruvanda bowed as the guests applauded. "Thank you," she said, "But please, the credit goes to Kevin."

"Well, it's technically unfinished," said Kevin, "We don't have a bridge and the rhyming is a little rough."

"You don't even have a title," said Ritchie.

"That too," said Kevin.

:-:-:-: PRGPX :-:-:-:

After the initial relief of Col. Greene's return washed over, the members of Project Ranger were reminded pretty quickly that the Colonel was a taskmaster in the vein of George S. Patton… well, not completely. But he did expect the best out of his subordinates and pushed them as far as he could. Of course, he wasn't a hard-ass like Patton was. In fact, he was more complimentary of his soldiers.

But there were always a few malcontents around. They just didn't express it in front of him. That would get them in BIG trouble. Lt. Kevin Barry was being forced to work overtime monitoring any potential radio traffic and energy detection in Wisconsin. No other branch of the military had this, so he wasn't sure what to do. He just started last month!

And what kind of radio traffic did they want him looking for, anyway? Wasn't that SWORD's job? Oh wait, they're GONE because they were too stupid to realize their practices would hurt them.

Suddenly, he heard something coming in from one of the channels he was monitoring. He sat back up in his seat and tried to tune out the other sounds in the room.

Unfortunately, he couldn't understand what they were saying. It sounded like some other language, one that he didn't speak. Well, so much for that.

Then the phone rang next to him. "Project Ranger," he said. He listened and his expression changed. Realization hit pretty quickly. "Hold on, I'll tell him." He quickly wrote down what the person said and called up his superior. "Is Col. Greene available? … Then patch me through to whoever is!" He waited again. "Captain Moore, we got a call from the Dells. They just picked up an energy reading there. I don't know why we didn't pick it up, this is what I'm telling you! … Right, I'll call the Rangers… They think it's teleportation energy and… we just picked up the same reading in Madison!"

:-:-:-: Power Rangers GPX :-:-:-:

Clean-up took shorter than they feared. It helped that they had about 11 people cleaning up (except for Aaron who still wasn't cleared to do a lot of work).

"Well, that went well," Kevin said while drying his hands off after cleaning out the dishes. He heard Sean turning off the vacuum cleaner in one of the other rooms. Maria was busy mopping up the floors.

The phone started ringing, much to Kevin's annoyance. He picked it up, answering, "Hello?" He paused. "SEAN!?" he called.

"Yeah?" Sean asked.

"Project Ranger called," said Kevin.

"Why not on the morpher?" Sean muttered, taking the phone. "Yeah?"

" _Red, we picked up teleportation energy in Madison,_ " said the agent on the other end of the line. " _It originated in Wisconsin Dells._ "

"The Dells?" he asked, "Is that where Ragnar's based?"

" _No, we've never been able to find the source of his teleportation_ ," said the agent. " _This is different. It originated in the woods surrounding those communities._

"Hey, Metoxen!" Sean said, "You know how big those woods in the Dells are?"

"Not that big," said Ritchie, "Why?"

"UN picked up something coming from the Dells," said Sean, "Somebody teleported here from there."

"Are you kidding me?" Ritchie asked. "Why?"

"Fuck if I know," said Sean. He went back to the phone. "Where did they show up?"

" _You mean where they teleported to?_ " the agent asked, " _Muir Woods._ "

"Ah, for cryin' out loud," said Sean. "And you want us to investigate?"

" _Correct_ ," said the agent.

"Ah, fuck," said Sean. "YO, PEOPLE!" he called out, "PR wants us to investigate something in Muir Woods!"

"Are they crazy?" Ritchie asked.

"What do you mean?" Eruvanda asked.

"Someone teleported into Muir Woods," said Sean. "It's not Ragnar, so we probably won't have to morph. Buuuuut, it wouldn't hurt to be prepared, anyway."

"Goddammit it," said Ritchie.

"By the way, Liz, you're coming with," said Sean.

"Why?" Eruvanda asked.

"Just in case," said Sean. "Rob, can you do some off-duty stuff?"

"Absolutely," said Rob.

"Good. Now let's get moving!"

:-:-:-: PRGPX :-:-:-:

None of them were used to the campus being so quiet, especially this early in the evening. It was only around 7:00 on St. Patrick's Day, but in a city known as "Mad-Town"!

Then again, everyone who was still in town during Spring Break was probably at the bar, getting drunk off their asses while continuing to perpetuate the stereotype of Irish people and the Irish diaspora are drunken monkeys. Of course, the author, who IS Irish-American, still genuinely loves St. Patrick's Day, but the drunken revelry can make a person very uncomfortable.

… But I digress.

Why these new guys were hiding in Muir Woods was a mystery. Of course, the obvious possible explanation was that it might be a trap. So the Rangers took their morphers, even though they didn't expect to use them. But being a Power Ranger means you have to expect the unexpected, no matter what.

"Why are you and Hitomi still wearing boots in March?" Ritchie asked Maria.

"Because it's still cold," Maria grumbled. Despite the snow melting and temps somewhere around the 40s, it was still a bit nippy for someone who grew up in the tropical areas of the Americas. "Ad why are you wearing nothing but a hoodie and hockey jersey!?"

"What can I say?" Ritchie said smugly, "I'm used to this!"

"Come on guys, let's not get snappy right now," said Sean. "We're still not even close enough—"

A figure jumped out of the darkness and attacked Sean right as he crossed onto Bascom Hill. He tried to punch the assailant, but they'd already jumped out of the way. Their extremely fast movement, coupled with their sudden appearance, brought about only one possible explanation.

"ELVES!" he said. "Get ready, it's morph—"

More figures appeared out of the darkness to attack the others before they could morph. They were also quick, and made the fighting hard for the others. Sea found himself engaged with one who was so fast he had a hard time not only blocking the assailant's attacks, but countering. These guys were good!

"Who are these guys!?" Maria asked as she kicked an enemy, the heel of her boot connecting with their cheek.

"WHAT DO YOU THINK!?" Ritchie shouted.

"YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN!" Maria shouted, grabbing the Oneida Rocket and tugging on his collar.

"Guys, stop fighting, we're SURROUNDED!" Sean shouted. "We gotta morph, NOW!" They reached for their keys.

Their leader shouted something in an unintelligible dialect. The enemies attacked them again, forcing back on to the defensive. But Maria had enough, and started to go on the offensive. She punched her assailant hard, kicked him and swept him off his feet.

"COME ON, YOU SORRY EXCUSEFOR MALES!" she taunted, "ARE YOU GOING TO LET THE FEMALES DO ALLTHE WORK!?"

"That's my gf!" Sean fawned, showing the mutual respect that helped him fall in love with her in the first place.

Maria's counterattack pushed their assailants back as they tried to make their escape. An elf ran up to Kevin. Kevin kicked the elf, but both combatants' legs made contact, effectively cancelling each kick out. But Arquen saw an opening to try and knock the elf down. He succeeded, kicking the elf hard and making an opening for the others to escape.

"WE GOTTA GO!" Rob shouted as he held onto Eruvanda.

"LET'S MOVE!" Sean ordered.

The Rangers took off running, but the elves stayed hot on their trail. More of them started to pop up, and with it being kinda dark, it was hard for them to see if these were Ragnar's people or not.

Ad unfortunately, things took a turn for the worse when those new elves cut off their escape, forcing them to come to a stop in State Street, which seems to be a common occurrence.

But they were surrounded again by a bunch of elves, who looked, as Sean put it, "What the fuck is this, a  _Lord of the Rings_  convention?"

"A-HEM!"

"Sorry, Liz," said Sean.

The elves' apparent leader stepped up to him. Dressed like an elf from  _Lord of the Rings_  and having long, blond hair to match, he looked over his captives with a dismissive look. Eruvanda, was still behind Rob, did not like this one eensy, teensy bit. So she stepped up to them, glaring all the way and confronted their leader.

" _Nányë Eruvanda,_ " she said in Quenya, "[I am from the House of Oberon, and High Queen of the Elves. Who are you and what do you want with us?]"

The assailants all looked at each other in confusion. Arquen an Eruvanda were not pleased at all. "[Who are you what are you doing with us?]" he asked. "[Answer me!]"

" _Ma istaldë quet' Eldarin?_ " Eruvanda asked again, " _Ma hanyalden?_ "

"I have no idea what they're saying, but it's obviously not working," Sean said in a sing-song.

"I can speak on Sindarin, too," said Kevin. "Can I try?"

"If you can," said Eruvanda.

" _I eneth nîn Kevin O'Donnell_ ," he said. " _Ni firen!_ "

Again, the leader didn't say anything. Eruvanda was getting frustrated with their silence. And the tension, with the other elves pointing their Nasty Weapons at them, was getting to them.

"[Are you not aware of who I am!?]" she declared, "[I am QUEEN OF THE ELVES! Lower your weapons so we may negotiate NOW!]"

She stepped towards their leader, immediately causing the other elves to point their weapons at her. Their leader, who appeared to be much older than she was, held his hand up. His warriors lowered their weapons.

" _Nányë_ Arquen," Arquen said. "[I am the Queen's beloved. These humans here are the Power Rangers. Please release us]."

Their captor still kept his silence. "This is going nowhere, fast," said Sean.

Then their captor spoke. His words were harsh, but no one could understand him. It did not sound a bit like Quenya or Sindarin. But from Kevin's reaction, he must have understood just what this elf was saying.

"I can't believe it," he whispered to Sean. "I can understand him!"

"Wait,  _what_?" Sean asked.

"It's hard, but I can make out his gloating," said Kevin. "That's Gaelic!"

"Gaelic, are you kidding me!?" Sean whisper-shouted, "How the fuck do you know that's Gaelic!?"

"It sounds like it!"

"Then what's he saying!?"

"He's bragging about how easy it was to catch us," said Kevin. "And that we should stay out of their business."

"Well, what the fuck are we supposed to do!?" Sean snapped. "Forget it, YOU talk to them!"

"Gladly," Kevin said, pushing his way up next to Eruvanda. "[Hello]," he said in Gaelic. "[My name is Kevin O'Donnell. Please excuse our rudeness.]"

The elven leader stopped and several emotions flashed on his face. One was anger at Kevin interrupting him, second was confusion at Kevin speaking a language that he understood, and third was just plain surprise. He spoke again, and Kevin understood him perfectly.

"[I'm sorry for interrupting you]," said Kevin, "[But your language sounds very similar to Irish Gaelic, which is why I'm willing to translate for you]."

"Kevin, what is the meaning of this!?" Eruvanda asked.

"They are speaking Irish Gaelic!" Kevin replied, "Or at least a language that sounds like it! I can act as an interpreter."

"You have my permission," said Eruvanda.

"Thank you, your majesty," he said. He turned to the elves again. "[If you may, I will translate for her.]" Their leader nodded.

"Very well, who are you?" she asked. Kevin relayed the question to the leader, who responded in a dignified tone.

"He says his name is Aengus," said Kevin. "He is the leader of this band of elves, who live in the Chequamegon-Nicolet forest."

"How did you know that?" Sean asked.

"I think that's it," said Kevin. "He says it's far north of here."

"Forget it," said Sean. "Just keep going!"

"Alright, alright, alright," said Kevin. He turned back to Aengus.

"Why have we not heard of your people before?" Eruvanda asked. "There have been rumors of wood-elves, but nothing conclusive." Kevin again translated for her.

"He says that's because they had no reason to reveal themselves to outsiders," said Kevin. "They sound like the Fair Folk of old stories."

"Tell them who you are," said Eruvanda, "Tell them you are Power Rangers."

"Gladly," said Kevin. "[I forgot to say who I was. I am Kevin O'Donnell, GPX Blue. My friend is Sean O'Callahan, GPX Red. Also with us are Maria Aparicio, GPX Yellow; Ritchie Metoxen, GPX Gold; Hitomi Miyazawa, GPX Pink; Rob Jackson, GPX Silver and Arthur Noble, GPX Green. We are the Power Rangers]."

Gasps and murmurs spread among the surprised wood-elves. Even Aengus was shocked. He gestured to them and they lowered their weapons. He spoke again.

"He was not expecting to find us this easily," said Kevin. "They wanted to draw us out."

"Why?" Sean asked.

Kevin asked this to Aengus. "Because they want to be allies with us."

"Well, that makes things easier!" Sean quipped. "Then why did the attack us!?"

Kevin asked again. "Secret identity things," he said. Everyone went 'OOOOH!' "They also smelled elves on us."

"Must be our guests," said Sean.

"Now, tell them who I am," said Eruvanda, "I want to discuss some things with them." Kevin turned to the wood-elves, and pointing at Eruvanda and Arquen, told them who they were.

The gasps were more surprised than when they found out about the Power Rangers. They immediately genuflected, getting down on their knees and bowing to her, saying something in unison. "Hail Eruvanda, the rightful monarch of the Elves," Kevin translated.

"Rise, Aengus of Wisconsin," she commanded. "I wish to discuss things with you."

"What do you need, Your Majesty?" Kevin translated.

"Because of the actions of Ragnar, I have been forced from my throne. My mentally ill cousin Eärello sits on the throne as a puppet of Ragnar, the Commander of the Elven military and the one who poses the biggest threat to our planet. I intend to take it back."

"He says that sounds selfish," said Kevin.

"I am planning a coup alongside a mole within the military, who in turn, is coordinating with student protestors," said Eruvanda. "The will of the people is with me. If that sounds selfish, then I suggest they find a new definition."

"And what do you want with them?" Kevin relayed.

"I offer you a proposal," she said. "When the time comes, we will launch a coordinated coup on the government. The students will take over the government buildings, while I recapture the palace. However, we will need all the help we can get. I ask that you join our effort!"

"And if they refuse?" Kevin asked. "They have pointed out that this still sounds selfish. Perhaps re-wording your offer could help."

"In that case, let me re-phrase that," she said. "I offer you a chance to save our world, and if you need any more convincing, you will help us unseat Ragnar. What do you say?"

Once Kevin finished with his translation, Aengus took a moment to consider her proposal. The others looked at her and Aengus nervously. Then, Aengus said something. "Deal!" said Kevin. "… But they also want to discuss more terms."

"Gladly," said Eruvanda. She reached out and shook Aengus's hand. A new alliance had formed.

:-:-:-: Power Rangers GPX :-:-:-:

Hitomi VO: "Next time on  _Power Rangers GPX Supercharged_!"

Gina: "It's getting harder every day."

Hitomi: "Don't worry! I'd love to help!"

Rusco: "Gina is stuck in two worlds."

Sean: "I don't know what you're talking about."

Ragnar: "She is smart."

Hitomi: "GINA!"

Hitomi VO: "That's next time on  _Power Rangers GPX Supercharged_!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So how was that?
> 
> First, the song. It's MINE. I previewed it on my Tumblr page last night and it got good reviews. I think I may have something here. Second, Kevin's Gaelic talent. In the original story, I had Sean and Kevin occasionally bantering in Gaelic, but that was dropped. Either way, it's always been part of Kevin's character that he speaks Gaelic.
> 
> Next, I apologize for the lack of Ranger action, but I couldn't find any room for it. I do hope you enjoyed the unmorphed action, tough! Also, the reason this was on St. Patrick's Day (again, just like the Christmas episode, two months early) was because it would set up these Irish Gaelic (or something like it)-speaking elves. However, these elves WILL be important. And the next chapter is going to address the elves who live among humans, like Gina.
> 
> But please tell me what you think! The review button is right down there!


	18. Gina's Temptation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So how was that?
> 
> This is one I wanted to get to because I could do a little more world-building and focus on the plight of elves like Gina. Sadly, humans can be bastards and we've seen racism in action. GPX, is in essence, an anti-bigotry screed, and to show people acting like this is to help get my point across. Do not think this is the end all, be all of this subplot, however. I do intend to talk more about it.
> 
> Given how fast some of the subplots I had going on before this one have already wrapped up, I still needed to develop my characters. Expect more from Gina in the coming chapters, because she's not going away. And I also apologize for the second-straight mostly-dialogue chapter, but plot is plot. There will be action in the coming chapters.
> 
> But please, let me know what you think! The review button is right down there!

Rob VO: "Last time on  _Power Rangers GPX Supercharged_!"

Kevin: "I'm glad us Project Ranger trainees could finally meet!"

Jimmy: "I've been talking to some of these guys, I think I might be able to start my own team!"

UN Agent: " _We picked up teleportation energy in Madison._ "

Sean: "And you want us to investigate?"

(The Rangers are attacked by a group of elves, but not ones related to Ragnar's group.

Arquen: "[Who are you what are you doing with us?]"

Kevin: "That's Gaelic!"

Eruvanda: "I am planning a coup alongside a mole within the military, who in turn, is coordinating with student protestors."

Aengus (through Kevin's translation): "Deal!"

Power Rangers GPX Supercharged, episode 41: Gina's Temptation

:-:-:-: We're the best chance for humanity, Power Rangers G-P-X, let's go! :-:-:-:

Gina had annoyed the Rangers with her bad attempts at "helping" them too many times. Rusco gave her a stern talking to after she was nearly killed by a badger monster (how ironic) and well, grounded her, since she still lives at home, at which point she went through your typical teen rebellion, even though she's going to be stuck in the body of a 20-something for 40 years once she hits 20. She'll get used to it, at least that's what every other elf she met told her.

But there were things she could not get used to. Born and raised in Madison, this was her home. But…

"GO BACK TO THE NORTH POLE, BUDDY!"

"HEY, WHY DIDN'T I GET MY FUCKING IPOD LAST YEAR!?"

"I still want that Lego set, elf girl!"

"HEY! Rivendell called, they want their girls back!"

"Fuck you, AND your buddy Ragnar!"

"UGH!" Gina groaned and cringed at the harsh words being thrown her way. The UW campus was not a place she wanted to get this kind of hate.

Still, she had Hitomi there to glare at everyone who said anything to her, especially when they moved to grab her. Hitomi reached and grabbed the woman who tried to threaten Gina and pushed her away. The assailant stumbled backwards and onto the grass of Bascom Hill. She growled, got up and left.

"I can't believe people," Hitomi moaned. "Is it this bad?"

"It's getting harder every day," said Gina. "Somebody called me 'Arwen' yesterday. Worst. Spring break. EVER."

"I'm so sorry about that," said Hitomi.

"Don't say that!" Gina snapped. But she stopped and looked down at the ground remorsefully. "I'm sorry, Hitomi. I shouldn't have lashed out like that."

"I don't blame you," Hitomiu replied. "But apology accepted." A snowball (made by the last little bit of snow on the ground) smacked Gina right in the cheek. Some seniors—frat boy types—walked towards two pair.

"Get out of here, you little elf bitch," said the one in the lead. "My dad's fucking crippled because your friends! You're gonna pay for that!"

"Go away!" Gina replied.

"Or what?" he laughed. "Whaddaya gonna do? Stuff cookies in my face?" The frat boys had the girls surrounded. Like that mattered to both of them, they could easily take these assholes out without breaking a sweat. They just didn't want to. Why?

Discipline.

"I could do worse," Hitomi replied. The frat boys laughed at her. Their leader even made some Karate Kid poses and made some Japanese/Chinese-sounding gibberish.

"Oh, me so sowwy," he said, making himself look Asian. "I do not—"

"HEY!" A very familiar voice interrupted the frat boys. Sean strolled up the hill, glaring at them and confronted the frat boy, scoffing as well.

"We can handle them, Sean," said Hitomi.

"They mess with a friend and a friend of a friend, they mess with me," said Sean. "And I thought I hated frat boys already."

"And what's a hockey player gonna do?" the frat boy asked.

"Just who the fuck do you think I am?" Sean replied, "Some weak-ass punk who won't stand up for himself? Listen jagov, I was bullied when I was a kid. And when I see some asshole bullying people in any way, I gotta do something."

"Sean, let me handle him!" Gina said.

"Oh, by all means," Sean said, stepping aside and letting Gina walk up to him.

"Listen, you turd," she said, "I've been afraid of that bastard Ragnar as much as you are. And if you think that just because I have the same pointed ears he does, that I'm on his side? I was  _born_ in Madison, you Coastie asshole!  _I_ was taken hostage on Christmas Eve, and  _I_ fought back! Do you have ANY idea what I risked just to show these ears off!?"

"You tell him, Gina!" Hitomi cheered.

"Atta girl!" Sean cheered.

"You're standing up for this elf bitch?" the frat boy asked.

"She's a friend of a friend," Sean replied. "But, if you force my hand, I'm not gonna kick your ass. The Japanese girl will."

"What, are you scared or something?"

"Of you? PUH-lease, I've fought worse!" Sean scoffed. "Besides, looking at you, Johnny Weir could kick your ass!"

The frat boy lunged at Sean, but he nonchalantly stepped out of the way, and let Hitomi grab him and throw him to the ground before she restrained him. "YOU BASTARDS WANT SOME OF THAT!?" Sean shouted, pointing proudly at Hitomi.

"This is college, not high school!" Hitomi shouted. "Actually, why don't I report you idiots to campus police?"

"Who are they going to believe?" Gina continued. "A bunch of no-good frat boys?"

"Or the top scorer on the hockey team!?" Sean finished.

The answer was obvious. The frat boys got up and ran. Hitomi and Gina made rude gestures at them before turning to Sean.

"You didn't have to help us," said Hitomi.

"I hate bullies," said Sean, "Especially racist ones. But if you insist, I'll respect your wishes. Gina, you'll have to stand up to bullies. It's the only way to get rid of them."

"That I can take," said Gina. The girls waved good-bye as Sean walked away. But they still had their other problem. "Great."

"What are you going to do now?" Hitomi asked.

"I don't know," Gina replied, sitting down on the grass. "I want to talk about—wait, that's it! I could be an elf rights activist!"

"A what?"

"I can speak out for elves like me!" Gina said.

"That's a great idea!" said Hitomi. "Is there anything I can do to help?"

"I don't know," said Gina. "I mean, I don't know what you can do, but—"

"Don't worry!" Hitomi interrupted. "I'd love to help, no matter what it is!"

"Aw, thanks Hitomi!" Gina said, hugging the heiress. "Now, let's get to work and get our message out!"

:-:-:-: PRGPX :-:-:-:

Sean left the Sewell Social Sciences building about an hour later. He was done with his classes for today, and he could focus on getting lunch, and then going ho—

"Sean!"

He turned and saw Rusco walking his way. "Professor Fox?" he asked. "What are you doing here?"

"I was just passing by," he said. "How about we get lunch?"

"Is that a good idea?" Sean asked.

"Well, you are not my student," said Rusco. He walked up to Sean and whispered in his ear. "Besides, there's important things we need to talk about."

"How does Babcock sound?"

:-:-:-: Power Rangers GPX :-:-:-:

"Um, sorry for asking, but do you know the first thing about activism?" Hitomi asked as the two walked towards State Street.

Gina froze and nervously turned to Hitomi. "Um… not really?"

"ARE YOU KIDDING ME!?"

"Well, I could start on Facebook and Tumblr!" Gina said.

"I don't know if that's going to work," Hitomi groaned, rubbing her face. "Oh man, we're in trouble, aren't we?"

"KEEBLER SUCKS!"

"HEY!" Gina spun around and marched up to the man who'd yelled at her. "Why don't you put yourself in MY shoes for once, and see what I have to deal with, maybe you'll find out what it's like to be me! What? Are my ears ugly? Well then, I guess I'm ugly! Yeah, I'm an elf and I'm fucking proud of it, bastard!"

The student nervously backed away, and ran.

"Gina, that's it!" Hitomi cheered, "You can tell people your story!"

"I can?" Gina asked.

"And now we're going to have to figure out how we're going to do that!" Hitomi said again.

:-:-:-: PRGPX :-:-:-:

"You know, I'm still not sure if this is a good idea," said Sean.

"Well, you're not my student," said Rusco. "Although I can tell you that Maria is doing exceptionally well, although student-teach confidentiality prevents me from saying much else." A proud smile crept on to Sean's mouth and a look in his eyes that screamed how proud he was of her. "However, I'm not here to talk about that." He took a bite out of his sandwich.

"Because of Gina, I may be force to 'come out'," he said.

"How?" he asked.

"Well, it's become virtually impossible for me to pretend I'm human when everyone says she looks like me," Rusco said. "I have been book to appear on 'Here and Now' on WPT this Friday and I'm also going to appear on the PBS NewsHour that same night. The NewsHour appearance will be taped and—"

"Not Fox News?"

"Absolutely not, unless they were a-hem, fair and balanced," said Rusco. Sean laughed. "Although I do hear Ben Dreck will be leaving this year."

"Good riddance," said Sean.

"Other than that, I'm worried," said Rusco. "And we may need to discuss this somewhere safe."

:-:-:-: Power Rangers GPX :-:-:-:

"You know I can't check books out of the library, Hitomi," Gina whispered while they scoured the shelves of Memorial Library.

"Well, your dad can help, can't he?" Hitomi whispered back.

"He can, but not right now," Gina whispered. "Besides, I appreciate this, but do you know what you're looking for?"

Hitomi handed a sheet of paper with the titles of some books written on them to Gina. "Oh," she said. "I guess that could help. But I don't know how books are going to help me do any activism."

"Well, I'm trying, Gina," Hitomi replied. "I just don't want you to second-guess me."

"Hitomi, I'm really thankful that you're trying to help," said Gina. "But maybe I should just let it come naturally, like what happened earlier."

"So what do you want to do?" Hitomi asked.

:-:-:-: PRGPX :-:-:-:

The second floor of Babcock Hall included a viewing area allowing visitors to look down at the in-house dairy plant. It gave guests a chance to see how the ice cream, cheese, butter and milk were made. It was also a good place for Sean and Rusco to discuss Ranger and Ragnar issues.

"Alright, no one's here," said Sean. "What do you need?"

Rusco sighed and appeared to stir his ice cream. "Things have been getting harder for Gina," he said.

"Yeah, I just saw her getting harassed by some frat boys earlier," said Sean.

"So you know," said Rusco. "It is getting harder for Gina every day. I am concerned that Ragnar could tempt her to join him because of that."

"… You're doubting your daughter's loyalty," Sean said with a poker face, but he still sounded like he disapproved of what Rusco was saying.

"I should have worded it better, shouldn't I?" Rusco asked. "Very well. Ragnar knows you intend to subvert his rhetoric. If you can control the conversation, you can win an ideological battle. Ragnar thoroughly believes what he is doing is right and has no intention of giving that up. I suspect he may appeal to the disaffected elves living among humans. There was a reason the United States interned Japanese and German-Americans during the war. Doesn't make it right at all, but that was the mentality."

"I doubt she'll turn," said Sean.

"Gina is stuck between two worlds," said Rusco, "The human and the elf. And she has been taking more pride in her ears. But I am—" he stopped and tapped Sean on his black leather jacket. "So how do the White Sox look this year?"

There was a tour group walking up behind them. And Sean was able to figure it out. "Eh, hopefully they'll do better than last year," he played along. "That late-season collapse was stressful as fuck."

The group took a little bit of time to look at the vats before moving on. Sean sighed, thankful to get back to work. "My concern is simply from a father's standpoint," said Rusco. "She is my only child, I cannot bear to lose her."

"I don't blame you," said Sean.

"And how has Arquen adjusted to being a Power Ranger?"

"He's been fighting as if he's always been one," Sean chuckled. "I think he really likes it."

"Good for him," said Rusco. "I suppose he already helps our cause."

"We'll look after your daughter," said Sean. "Although, from what I saw today, I don't think she'll need it. She can handle herself."

"Good," said Rusco. "I suppose even Hitomi will take care of her."

"Yeah, those two are really good friends," said Sean. "They'll do what it takes for each other."

"That I can tell for certain," said Rusco. "But perhaps there may be more to that, don't you agree?"

"I dunno," Sean replied.

"I know you're lying."

Sean looked over at Rusco again, who was giving him a knowledgeable, yet still-curious look up beyond his glasses. Sean stiffened up, but kept his composure. "I don't know what you're talking about," he said.

"Don't lie to me," said Rusco. "Something's going on between—"

"Oh, look at the time, I've gotta get going!" Sean said. "By the way, we did find some wood-elves and Liz is working on a deal with them, hopefully they'll get something worked out before her planned insurrection and we can end this conflict sooner, rather than later. See ya!" Rusco was left in Sean's dust before he had a chance to ask a follow-up question.

:-:-:-: Power Rangers GPX :-:-:-:

Rusco's suspicion about Ragnar and Gina proved to be true in a sense. "Commander," said Túrelie, "I am sure this is a good plan."

"I agree with you," said Ragnar. "All elves living amongst humans must return to their people. We can start with Rusco's daughter."

"Will she come with us, though?" Tiris asked.

"She is smart," said Ragnar. "It may not take one attempt to bring her to the side of righteousness. Be patient and persistent."

"Like we are now," said Tiris.

"Of course," said Ragnar. "If she agrees to come today, as if motivated by anti-elf racism—if the reports are true—then perfect. If not, she will be swayed."

"I will be sure she is swayed today," Túrelie said as she stepped into the teleportation beam, accompanied by a number of Suitroops.

:-:-:-: PRGPX :-:-:-:

" _NO_ , I did  _NOT_ say anything about that!" Sean said into his iPhone. "I left before—ah jeez, I know, I KNOW! Whatever, Prof Fox said you're doing well and I'm really proud of you. Aw, you're welcome, babe! No, I can't tell you what grade you're getting. Oh man, she hung up? Great."

Yes, even two people who deeply love each other WILL have the occasional spat. It's natural, everyone.

Sean had already switched back into college student-mode with his very pissed off expression when he heard the crackling of energy that signaled the arrival of elves. He groaned and ran to find a place to morph right as Túrelie materialized.

"This is not where I wanted to appear," she said. "Spread out and search for her, this campus is large, but not excruciatingly. AND DO NOT HARM HER! Now, where could she—"

"Hiii-YAAAA!" Sean's out-of-the-blue Superman punch and tornado kick caught Túrelie's attention. "WHY—DO—YOU—ALWAYS—HAVE—TO—GO—ALL—STAR TREK—NEAR—US!?" Sean shouted while punching and kicking the Suitroops away.

"DAMN. Locked onto the wrong morpher," said Túrelie. "LISTEN! Hold him off, I will find the girl!"

"OH, NO YOU DON'T!" Sean growled, breaking free of the Suitroops' grip and charging Túrelie. "YOU STAY AWAY FROM GINA, BITCH!" He threw a hard right jab at Túrelie. Túrelie dodged it, but he swung around and kicked her hard in the back, sending her sprawling. She still got up and started to run. "What's the matter, bitch!? Afraid of getting your ass kicked!?"

"Do you use that term to every single female you come across!?"

"Nah, just the ones who deserve it! Like YOU!" He threw a punch that knocked Túrelie off her feet. But she recovered and one VERY powerful kick sent Sean flying into one of the bus shelters. "Dammit," he groaned.

"Sean, you know I HATE IT when—TÚRELIE!" Rusco emerged from Babcock Hall to find the elf general standing over the Red Ranger's prone body. He lunged at Túrelie, only for some Suitroops to grab him and hold him in place.

"My dearest apologies, Rusco," Túrelie said, brushing her hair and softly walking up to him. "But I must borrow your… what is it called… cellular phone?"

"Never," Rusco replied. "What do you want from me?"

"Just your phone," she replied. A Suitroop reached into Rusco's pocket and pulled out his iPhone. "Well, I suppose you won't be too necessary."

"Are you going to threaten me?" he asked.

"Why?" she replied. "Ah, here it is."

:-:-:-: Power Rangers GPX :-:-:-:

Hitomi and Gina had left Memorial Library and were heading in the direction of Elizabeth Waters Hall when Gina felt her phone vibrating in her pocket. She picked it up and answered. "Hello?"

" _Hello, is this Gina?_ "

"Why are you using my dad's phone?" Gina asked.

" _That is not of concern_ ," said the voice. " _But if you insist, it is because I borrowed it from him."_

"I'm not sure if I should talk to strangers," said Gina.

" _You can trust me_ ," said the voice. " _Meet me over by the Camp Randall park in ten minutes alone, please. I would love to discuss something with you._ "

"Um, okay," Gina said before the call went dead.

"What's going on?" Hitomi asked.

"Someone wants to meet me," said Gina. "I don't know about this."

"I'll come with you," Hitomi said determinedly.

"Thanks, Hitomi."

:-:-:-: PRGPX :-:-:-:

It took the necessary 10 minutes to reach the Camp Randall Memorial Arch. The stadium is named that because it sits on the grounds of what was once a Union Army training camp during the American Civil War. The arch itself was built in 1912 and also serves as the entrance to Camp Randall Memorial Park.

Gina and Hitomi crossed Randall Ave in a hurry. Hitomi ducked away to hide while Gina kept walking. They discussed their plan on the walk there. Gina followed the pathway through the park until she reached the canon sitting in the middle of the green. It was there someone was waiting for her. "Hello, Gina," she said.

"Wait, I know you… you tried to kidnap me!" Gina shouted when she saw Túrelie.

Túrelie held her hands up and kept coming closer. "Gina, I sincerely apologize," she said. "And I also apologize for calling you a traitor. You are an elf, as am I."

"Um, what?"

"I want to discuss something with you," said Túrelie. "And no, I am NOT going to harm you."

"You think that's going to make me forget how you kidnapped me and beat me up!?"

"You are correct," said Túrelie. "You do not have to forgive me. But, I do want you to listen to me. PLEASE."

Gina lowered her fists as Túrelie led Gina over to the cannon, where she stroked the weapon's metal barrel. "I suppose humans and elves are not as different as we think," she said. "After all, we glorify those who fought in war and build memorials to them. But only a few similarities do not make up for the damage humans are doing to Mother Earth.

"I am sure you hear about in in the news; climate change, disease, war, genocide… do you ever desire to escape?"

"Um, maybe?" Gina replied.

Túrelie smiled. "And of course, hatred for their so-called 'fellow man'. I understand there have been upticks of violence and harassment against elves who 'come out', like you." Túrelie looked to see Gina looking down at the ground. "What happened? You can talk to me."

"Some people were calling me 'Arwen' or telling me to go back to the North Pole," said Gina.

"Oh my God," Túrelie said. "That is so horrible. If there is anything I can do to help you, I will gladly do it."

"What do you mean?" Gina asked.

"How would you like to live among your own kind?" Túrelie asked. "Away from the hate and discrimination?"

"You're joking," Gina laughed. "Why would I want to leave MY hometown?"

"That is understandable," said Túrelie. "After all, being asked to leave and start a new life somewhere is a daunting request. But, if it is necessary, we could pardon your father and allow him to live in Alfheim again."

"But all my friends are here," said Gina. "I can't leave!"

But Túrelie knew this was coming. And she wasn't going to be deterred by this. "What is that phrase I heard once? Strangers are friends who have not yet met?"

"I don't like that," said Gina.

"Then perhaps I should inform you of the 'elephant in the room'," Túrelie said, using air quotes. "On average, elves live twice as long as humans. And because we cannot interbreed with them, having children will be impossible. You will outlive your friends and possibly life partner by 80 to 100 years. You, for example, will have the appearance of a 20-year-old human for the next 40 years. It has always been like that, do not ask me why."

Gina brought her hand up to her mouth and held back a sob. She looked so devastated that Túrelie genuinely felt for her. Of course, this only made her mission more urgent. "Please, Gina," she said. "You do not have to endure a life of pain staying with the humans. Your place is with your people. Come with me, and I shall—"

"KEEP YOUR HANDS OFF HER!" Túrelie jumped away as Hitomi, now morphed, swung her Am Staff down at Túrelie. The elf general jumped out of the way, but she didn't move to attack Hitomi. "You witch! Don't you DARE take her away from her friends!"

"Hitomi, what are you doing!?" Gina asked.

"Why would you go with her!?" Hitomi asked. "She kidnapped you!"

"Stay out of this, Pink Ranger!" Túrelie warned. "This is a discussion between two elves, and humans are not a—"

"YOU SHUT UP!" Hitomi shouted. "We're FRIENDS! I am NOT going to let MY BEST FRIEND get tricked into—"

"Hitomi!" Gina interrupted. "You can't decide MY future for me!"

"But Gina," Hitomi said, retracting her helmet and putting her hand on Gina. "I don't want you to make the wrong decision."

"But what if it's the right one?" Gina asked. "I'm going to live longer than all of my friends, I should—"

"GINA, STOP BRING SELFISH AND THINK ABOUT EVERYONE WHO CARES ABOUT YOU!" Hitomi screamed, tears running down her cheeks and the most anguished expression Gina had ever seen was on Hitomi's face.

"Gina, do not listen to her!" Túrelie warned. "She is trying to lead—"

"SILENCE, TÚRELIE!" Arquen jumped and attacked his former comrade, swinging his sword at her. She jumped out of the way, but a pair of blaster shots struck her and sent her sprawling on the green.

"Give it up, Túrelie!" Sean declared, pointing his Octane Blaster at her while the other Rangers advanced on her. "We know what you're trying to do!"

"Is that a surprise?" Túrelie asked.

"Your attempts will fail," said Arquen. "Do you honestly expect her to believe that Ragnar is a decent elf, despite everything he's done? Do you take her for a fool?"

"Hold your tongue, Arquen!" she snapped.

"TÚRELIE!" Hitomi shouted. "I'm not letting you take my best friend! If you try, you'll have to go through me!"

"You are so foolish, Pink!" Túrelie replied. "Think about this; you will DIE long before she does! And she will not age as fast as you! Your friendship is doomed!"

"Does that matter!?" Hitomi replied. "Even if I was her friend for just a year, I'm glad we were friends!"

"Hitomi…" Gina said.  _You really do care._

"LEAVE, Túrelie!" Kevin said, pointing his rifle at her.

Túrelie knew it was best to leave. So she pressed her teleportation device and disappeared. The Rangers all lowered their weapons. "Good riddance," said Hitomi. "Gina, are you—"

Hitomi was surprised when Gina threw her arms around her midsection and gripped her tightly. Hitomi was surprised, but she slinked her arms around Gina and squeezed her back. "You're a selfish jerk, Hitomi," Gina said through teary sobs. "But you're still the best friend I've ever had."

"You're welcome," Hitomi replied, burying her face in the slightly taller girl's shoulder.

Rusco arrived shortly after to see the two girls still hugging. He looked at Sean, whose expression told him everything he needed to know about what just happened. So he sighed in relief. But he also saw the nervous look on Sean's face, as well. Something was going on between his daughter and the Pink Ranger, and he was not sure what it was.

:-:-:-: Power Rangers GPX :-:-:-:

Ritchie VO: "Next time on  _Power Rangers GPX Supercharged_!"

Ritchie: "Heeeeey battabattabatta!"

Eruvanda: "Do you think I am selfish?"

Arquen: "Of course not."

Ragnar: "We must not lose sight of the end."

Eruvanda: "I cannot help but feel so wrong about this."

Floki: "You're not my Queen!"

Eruvanda: "I AM QUEEN!"

Ritchie VO: "That's next time on  _Power Rangers GPX Supercharged_!"


	19. Unworthy of the Throne

Sean VO: "Last time on  _Power Rangers GPX Supercharged_!"

Random asshole: "GO BACK TO THE NORTH POLE, BUDDY!"

Gina: "Worst. Spring break. EVER."

Frat boy: "Get out of here, you little elf bitch!"

Gina: "Do you have ANY idea what I risked just to show these ears off!?"

Sean: "YOU BASTARDS WANT SOME OF THAT!?"

Gina: "I could be an elf rights activist!"

Rusco: "I suspect he [Ragnar] may appeal to the disaffected elves living among humans."

Ragnar: "All elves living amongst humans must return to their people."

Túrelie: "How would you like to live among your own kind?"

Gina: "You're a selfish jerk, Hitomi. But you're still the best friend I've ever had."

Power Rangers GPX Supercharged, episode 42: Unworthy of the Throne

:-:-:-: We're the best damn chance you've got, Power Rangers G-P-X, let's go! :-:-:-:

It's pretty safe to say that Eruvanda and Arquen had not seen a baseball game yet. So when better to start with an afternoon Spring Training game between the White Sox and the Brewers?

Once again, this is a place where Sean and Ritchie's rivalry extended to. Of course, the White Sox and Brewers USED to be in the same division, the American League Central, until the Brewers moved to the National League, essentially ending the rivalry.

Didn't stop either one from chirping the other.

"You mean you actually took a break from cow-tipping to go to these games?" Sean snarked.

"At least we draw more than your little prison," Ritchie quipped.

"That's 'cuz they're all cubheads," said Sean.

"And our park is nicer, too."

"And we've got better food."

"Do you have a sausage race?"

"Only a race to  _get_  hot dogs and Polishes."

"Is that all?"

"Best food in the Bigs."

"I pity you," said Ritchie. "Heeeeey battabattabatta!"

"Is that the best you could do, Metoxen?" Sean asked. The Irish-American looked over at the young Oneida Indian, rolled his eyes and looked back to the TV. Or he would have, if he did not notice the Queen of the Elves watching the game with her knees curled up to her chest and her arms holding them close to it. "Y'alright, Liz?" he asked.

"Perhaps," she said.

Without once getting up from his seat, Sean turned towards Liz, put his elbow against the back of the couch and braced his head with that arm. "What's wrong?"

"I do not know," she said. "Do you think I am selfish?"

Ritchie instantly jumped up from the couch, took her by the hand, sat her down on said couch, and pretended to take notes. "Now zhen, Liz, vat are zese feelings of selfishness zat you are talking about?" he asked in a ridiculously comical faux-German accent that no one could take seriously, Sean especially. "Did it have somezing to do vith your muzzer?"

"… No," Liz replied.

"Zhen vat?"

"Well, what if I am only working to bring down Ragnar if only to become Queen again? At the risk of going against the wishes of my people?"

"Uh, what?"

"The Resistance is fighting to remove Ragnar," she said. "They are fighting for freedom, and yet I want to—God, I feel selfish."

What HAD been a comical faux-psychiatric session turned serious. Or at least awkwardly serious, since Sean and Ritchie didn't know how to react to that, as the confused looks they shared between each other indicated.

Of course, AJ was there, not only to remind everyone that he's still there, but to nuzzle Liz's hand and jump up to lick the Queen's face. It worked. Liz found it impossible to pout with a dog licking her face and the awkwardness subsided.

"Okay, good to see you feeling better," said Sean. "Good doggie! Okay, now; you're worried about what your people will think. Here's what I think: Listen to them."

"Listen?"

"Yeah, you know, what leaders are supposed to do," said Sean. "If they want to keep you around, then stick around! If not, then respect their wishes and let them create a new government."

"But what must I do?" she asked.

"Vell, retirement doesn't have to be too bad," Ritchie continued in his faux-Freudian accent. "You could retire to Visconsin Dells and eat nozzing nut cheese curds for ze rest of your days."

"No product placement," said Sean.

"It was a suggestion, FIB," said Ritchie. "By the way, have you had cheese curds yet?"

"Of COURSE she's had cheese curds, Metoxen!" Sean said. "And cheesecake, and cheese fries, and cheeseburgers, and fondue, it's amazing she hasn't had a heart attack from all the cholesterol!"

"What is going on?" Arquen rubbed his eyes after waking up from one of his naps. Sean pointed at Ritchie. Ritchie pointed at Sean. Liz pointed at the both of them and both pointed at her at the same time. "I wish I never asked."

"Arquen?" she asked. "Am I selfish?"

"Of course not," he replied. He walked up to her, took her hand and tenderly gazed into her eyes. "You are the least selfish person, I have ever met, my love. But, what are you concerned about?"

"Am I selfish for wanting to re-take the throne?" she asked. "What if the people do not want it?"

"I see the problem," he said. "You should do what you feel is right, of course."

"What are they talking about?" Ritchie asked.

"What made you think I speak Elvish?" Sean replied.

"Forget it," Ritchie sighed. "I'm gonna get some string cheese."

"Aren't you gonna have a heart attack from all that cheese?"

"Anything's better than alcohol or diabetes!" Ritchie replied. "I plan on bucking the trend on the Rez!"

They heard static coming from their morphers, catching their attention. Liz rolled her eyes as she listened to the man on the other end warning them about the latest Monster of the Day wreaking havoc on State Street. "Do be careful," she said. "God knows what Ragnar is thinking sending a monster after you every day."

Arquen just smiled and kissed her forehead and got up to follow everyone else out the door with Sean shouting "HI-YOOOO SILLLLVEEEEERRRRR!"

:-:-:-: PRGPX :-:-:-:

Ragnar, Ignvar and Turelie watched the slender otter monster and a platoon of Suitroops wreaking havoc on the human street. It would perhaps be a few minutes until the Rangers arrived, and even longer for one of them. But if this plan was going to work, it would take all the time it needed. And with Ragnar's brow furrowed slightly, his impatience was evident. While Ingvar stayed stern, Turelie's fingers flexed and fidgeted to keep herself from getting too nervous.

"Another hostage-taking attempt," said Ragnar.

"Except it is not," said Turelie.

"Normally I would have you reprimanded," said Ragnar. "But in this case, I will not."

"I am sorry," said Turelie. "All I know is, the best opportunity to take the Queen is when the Rangers are out and she is defenseless."

"Perhaps we should have done this earlier," said Ingvar. "Why is it only now that we are attempting this?"

"Perhaps our focus has been on the Rangers too much," said Ragnar. "But we must not lose sight of the end. If all goes well, we will be unopposed in our endgame. Is Floki ready for teleportation?"

"Yes, sir!" Turelie replied. "Although, I would rather—"

"He may be mentally unstable, but he is still capable," said Ragnar.

"Commander! The Rangers are closing in!" a scout said.

:-:-:-: Power Rangers GPX :-:-:-:

"ALLONS-YYYY!" Sean screamed as he led the Rangers onto State Street, grabbing the attention of the otter monster and the Suitroops that were making a frightful mess of things.

"It's them! GET THEM!" the otter monster ordered as Suitroops ran past him to intercept the Rangers. The Rangers were there first though, and the Suitroops were caught off guard once the Rangers collided with them.

Summoning the GT Sword, Sean took a couple big swipes at some of the Suitroops, bringing them down with sparks flying all around. A Suitroop whacked at him, he blocked the whack, thrust the GT Sword through the Suitroop's chest, and kicked it off of him. He took a couple more big swipes before jumping out of the way of an energy staff blast that threw some dirt and debris into the windows of several storefronts. "That's not good," he said before grunting, charging up and leaping into the air to GT Strike some of the Suitroops he was still fighting, cutting them into teeny, tiny pieces.

As he usually does, Kevin started the fight by tackling a Suitroop and throwing it to the pavement. Once the Suitroop burst into teeny, tiny pieces, he stood and punched a Suitroop's head off. When another Suitroop tried to get to him, he ducked, sweep-kicked the Suitroop off its feet, then grabbed its legs and swung the thing around to hit the Suitroops before finally tossing it several yards away to crash into tiny pieces. His HUD alerted him to another Suitroop, and he effortlessly kicked the Suitroop into another one and clotheslined the both of them to the ground before stomping on one of their heads.

Arquen seemed to be getting the hang of being a Power Ranger, as he jumped and flipped over a few Suitroops. Once he landed, he drew his sword and effortlessly decapitated the lot of them. Another Suitroop came for him. He took his sword and stabbed it in the chest without once turning around to look. He removed the sword and cut off another Suitroop's head without moving. When another Suitroop rushed for him, he jumped out of the way and off one of the storefronts to kick the Suitroops in the head. Once that was done, he spun with his boots making tire sounds and cut off another head.

Maria lunged at a Suitroop, grabbed it, wrestled with it and Rock Bottom'd the fucker. She got up and punched a Suitroop hard in the face. She hit it so hard that its head spun around. Not bad for someone who isn't extremely muscular, although she doesn't mind. She ducked and slid out of the way of another Suitroop, where she kicked the Suitroop. It kick-blocked her twice, but third time's the charm as she wound up her leg and reverse roundhouse kicked it. She then jumped onto a bus stop shelter, leaped off it and pounded a Suitroop into the ground before jumping and kicking another one.

Hitomi jumped and kicked a Suitroop off its feet. When she landed, she tumbled under a Suitroop's legs, grabbed them and threw it to the ground. She got back up and leaped into a crowd of Suitroops. She spun around, kicking them all, and jumped away. Then she ran forward and collided with another one shoulder-first. She grabbed a Suitroop by the wrist and used it to smash it into another one. A Suitroop's energy staff came right for her head, but she grabbed the staff and tossed the Suitroop to the ground. She grabbed the energy staff, pointed it at the robot's head and fired.

Ritchie roundhouse kicked a Suitroop, and with the same right leg, side-kicked another. He ducked under another one, got out of the way and kicked it in the back, where it crashed into the storefront of Pizza di Roma. "I need to go there sometime," he said to himself before a Suitrop ran up to him. He bent down, grabbed the Suitroop and suplexed the robot. Once he was back upright he caught a Suitroop's punch and countered with his own, following that up with an elbow to the gut and a Pedigree. He was still down on one knee when he ducked under a Suitroop and flipped it over.

The wreckage of busted up Suitroops sparkled and fizzled behind Sean as he took the GT Sword and blew on it like he was blowing gun smoke away. The sword disappeared from his hands, as he was done with it. He subsequently got into a fighting stance once he caught sight of the otter monster. "I'm sorry, but I think we need to see OTTER people," he quipped.

"Very funny!" the monster replied as Sean charged him, jumped and tried to Superman Punch him.

:-:-:-: PRGPX :-:-:-:

Liz watched the battle unfold from the couch in Sean's living room with AJ still sitting next to her. Only this time, she was petting the little guy, which he very much appreciated. She smiled, feeling considerably less stressed than she was earlier. It helps that petting dogs and cats is scientifically proven to reduce stress, and it's true for elves, at least in this universe. He was almost insulted when she stopped to turn the volume up on the TV. "Sorry," she chuckled as she went back to petting him, a gesture he returned with a tail wag and laying his head on her lap.

"Do you think I am selfish?" Liz asked out of the blue. "I cannot help but feel so wrong about this; I mean, supporting the people's resistance, but wanting to retake the throne. What am I doing? What do you think—oh, right. You are a dog. Apologies."

AJ looked up at her and licked his lips. He was more interested in being petted and having his ears scratch than Liz's problems. She didn't care. "Oh, well," she said. "You are a very good listener."

She did not notice Floki, once again wearing a hoodie, materializing inside the Ranger house.

:-:-:-: Power Rangers GPX :-:-:-:

The Rangers and otter monster were locked in combat. The otter monster was smaller than most of the other monsters, was quicker, and more agile. In fact, he was about the same height as Kevin. This meant that Rangers, who can usually run circles around a monster or robot, were in for a tougher fight against the otter monster. In their entire time, they had rarely, if ever, seen a monster moving so quickly and agile, aside from the actual elves, that although they were not going to admit it any time soon, were caught WAY off guard.

Sean lunged at the monster, throwing a punch. The monster ducked and rolled under the punch. Sean stopped and turned towards the monster with his head whipping around. The monster got back on one knee and ducked again when Kevin jumped over him and the Blue Ranger pounded the pavement with both fists. Otterdil (the monster's name) kicked Arquen in the gut when his former commander tried to sneak up on him. In fact, seeing Arquen seemed to enrage him and he grabbed the Green Ranger, shoved him into another storefront to slam him into a table that was occupied by trapped customers and a poor sushi lunch.

"You're just another OTTER traitor," Otterdil taunted, grabbing the former general's throat. "Do you want to stay on the side of the humans?"

"I wouldn't have it any OTTER way!" Arquen replied as he kicked Otterdil in the chest. Once Otterdil was off of him, he tackled the monster out of the restaurant and back into the pedestrian street.

In order to get him away from the storefront, Maria and Hitomi ran up and grabbed Otterdil by both arms and shoved him away from the storefront. But he got back up and blocked Ritchie's flying kick. The Gold Ranger was still on his feet, though, and ducked underneath to sweep the monster off his feet. But Otterdil jumped up to dodge the kick. And then he tried the same trick on Ritchie, which the Gold Ranger effortlessly avoided.

Otterdil felt a hard blow to the back and fell forward. Sean checked the monster into the nearest bus shelter like he was in one of his hockey games. Otterdil shuffled away and pushed Sean away. Kevin had already gotten behind the monster and pushed him away back into the middle of the street. Sean and Kevin ran up and punched the monster in sync. Otterdil blocked both of their punches and reverse roundhouse kicked the both of them, but they jumped out of the way.

Next it was Hitomi and Maria's turn, as they ran right towards him. Otterdil braced himself but Hitomi dove for his legs and Maria for the shoulder. Hitomi knocked him off his feet and Maria hit him in the upper chest. Otterdil braced himself for the impact and was lucky a tooth didn't go flying.

Otterdil got back up, but Ritchie flew in, grabbed him and threw him to the ground. The Gold Ranger kept his grip on Otterdil's collar and punched down—completely missing and breaking the pavement. Otterdil whacked him in the side, got up and punched the Oneida Rocket in the jaw.

Sean ran up, jumped and kicked Otterdil's head, or AT his head, until Otterdil threw him to the ground. But he caught himself and pushed himself at Otterdil to kick the otter monster in the head. "I can always find an… OTTER way!" he quipped.

Otterdil growled (a sound real-life otters cannot make), smacked Sean to the side and ran way, towards the east.

"AFTER HIM!" Sean shouted. "DON'T LET HIM GET AWAY!" They should have gone the other way.

:-:-:-: PRGPX :-:-:-:

Floki was in the Ranger house. Specifically Sean's room. And the place was a mess, and smelled of human. Floki covered his nose, saying, "He needs an air freshener." He stepped over Sean's bed shorts, which looked like they hadn't been washed in a while. And they smelled like it, too. Human males ages 18-25 seemed to have no concept of cleanliness or personal hygiene. No wonder they were so disgusting. Yes, that is Floki's racism talking, but technically it is true.

Once he made his way out of Sean's room, he quietly snuck through the hallway, keeping every single footstep quiet. He could hear the human talking box downstairs, which meant that Eruvanda was still there. He smirked and crept downstairs. But he also found the house to be bigger than expected. He tried to find out where the sound was coming from, but had some difficulty. He thought it was going to be easier than this, and he was clearly surprised by how big the house was when he turned into a room that had no furniture in it and only contained machines and trinkets. He believed that someone referred to it as a "weight room".

Whatever it was, it REEKED of human.

The stench was so strong he was only in there for a fraction of a second. But then the sound of the human visual box caught his ear again and he ran towards the sound.

He eagerly gripped his energy staff, not once caring about the kind of damage he could do to the house (and why should he? If it was up to him, he'd destroy the whole place). His blood pumped faster and faster as he ran towards the source of the sound. And once he found it, and Eruvanda sitting on the couch with a pet on her lap, completely distracted by the coverage of the fight, he smirked and hid from her. He would take his time to strike.

Too bad he didn't have any!

AJ suddenly perked up and it surprised Liz. But when the dog started to growl, she knew something was wrong, especially as he looked towards the entrance to the TV room. "What is it, boy?" she asked as she held him tightly. "Is there an intruder?"

AJ kept growling and barked in the direction of the intruder. It only took a nudge for him to jump off the couch, run towards the intruder, barking all the way.

Floki had no time to escape as the 22-pound Beagle jumped up and tackled him, trying to bite and scratch at him. The insane elf cried and shouted as he tried to get the stubborn dog off of him. Liz getting up to pick AJ off of him would have been relief, but he was here to kill her, and he watched as the Queen easily disarmed him and threw him against the wall. And if he expected it to be easy, he learned the hard way first-hand just how much she'd changed as she punched him in the face repeatedly until blood trickled down from his nose.

"Did you honestly think you could kill me that easily?" she asked derisively. "When I have been guarded by humans who know how to fight?"

Floki only responded with a gesture to with his index and middle fingers connected. Liz rolled her eyes. "You know better than to give a vulgar gesture to the Queen of the Elves, do you not?" she asked.

"You're not my Queen!" Floki spat.

"I AM QUEEN!" she roared. "I AM STILL QUEEN! AND I WILL—" She let him go as her expression turned to shock. Tears welled up in her eyes and she fell on her backside, crying her eyes out. Floki say an opportunity, but AJ went back to attacking him, or at least keeping him from attacking her.

"I  _am_  selfish!" she wailed. "Oh god, I am a horrible person!" She cried and cried, and cried, so much that AJ could only get off Floki to go over and try to lick her cheeks while she cried about how horrible an elf she is and doesn't deserve the throne of an entire species.

And Floki was in such agony after being attacked by a dog and Queen that he teleported away.

:-:-:-: Power Rangers GPX :-:-:-:

The Rangers had caught up to Otterdil by now and had him surrounded. But the cornered rat—er, otter—was not going down easily. And each time the Rangers thought they had him down, he made things a hell of a lot more difficult for them. Especially when it came to one-on-one combat.

Ritchie found out the hard way as he punched Otterdil but the otter replied with a punch to the gut. The Gold Ranger staged backwards and tried to regain his footing. Sean jumped up over him and delivered a powerful Superman punch, only for Otterdil to suplex him into the curb. But Maria jumped on top of a car, where she jumped and punched Otterdil in the face, landing in Sean's arms. And the two removed their helmets for a quick kiss before taking each other's' hands and POWER OF LOVE CLOTHESLINE.

Hitomi couldn't help but feel a little envy, though.

Otterdil writhed on the ground. The Rangers were getting the upper hand—ARQUEN almost stabbed Otterdil, but the otter rolled out of the way. Arquen tried it again, but the otter caught his sword and elbowed him in the helmet's jaw.

Kevin tackled Otterdil. The otter tried to suplex him, but Kevin kept his footing and kneed Otterdil in the gut.

With Otterdil staggering about, Sean had an idea. "Let's finish this!" he cried out, grabbing the Octane Blaster. "SUPERCHARGE!"

The Rangers produced their AcceleKeys and jammed them into their weapons. Ritchie pulled out the Golden Axe, converted it into a blaster and pointed it at Otterdil. "Ready! Aim! FIRE!" Sean shouted.

The Rangers pulled their triggers and swung their sword against Otterdil. The monster had no chance to dodge and fell to the ground, where he exploded.

But then a beam of light hit the monster and its body began to convulse and grow.

The sound of an incoming jet could be heard. Right as the monster was beginning to grow, a massive silver-colored jet flew by and latched some cables onto the monster, and lifted it away from downtown and north towards Lake Mendota.

The Rangers followed and reached the shore of Lake Mendota to see the monster reach its massive size. Then some objects materialized in the water and fired cables at the monster to keep it in place. "LET'S DO THIS!" Sean shouted. He and the Rangers jumped up into their zords.

"GT Racer, online!" Sean said as he fell into his cockpit.

"Touring Racer, ready to go!" Kevin said

"Mountain Hauler, engage!" Arquen shouted.

"Haz Runner, roll out!" Maria called.

"Am Chaser, let's go!" Hitomi said.

"Golden Jet, armed and ready!" Ritchie shouted.

"AcceleKeys, ready!" Sean said. He and the other Rangers pulled out their AcceleKeys.

" _READY!_ " The rest shouted. They then jammed the keys in the key slots near the steering wheel and gave them a turn. A series of lights lit up indicating their activation.

"Initiate Grand Prix Megazord docking sequence," Sean said. "NOW!"

Sean pulled out his AcceleKey. "Ready?"

" _Ready!_ " They jammed the keys into the dashboard, turning them and lighting them up.

"Grand Prix Megazord sequence, engage!" The zords moved to the northern shore of Lake Mendota and the sequence began.

The Touring Racer split up and joined with the Mountain Hauler, forming arms. The front of the Mountain Hauler opened up, allowing it to combine with the Haz Runner and Am Chaser. Then, the tailgate of the Mountain Hauler opened and the GT Racer rolled up onto the truck bed to join with the Hauler. Rockets fired and the whole thing stood up. The head was unveiled with its black visor and mouth-less mouth plate.

After some fiddling around, Ritchie pulled a lever and the Golden Jet broke apart. Part of it combined with the Megazord's boots and the part of the fuselage that includes the nose and wings combined with the back and chest of the Megazord.

" _Golden Grand Prix Megazord, online!_ " they said in the cockpit, inside their Indy Car pods.

Otterdil was still dazed when he broke free from his restraints to see the Golden Grand Prix Megazord standing in front of him. But he didn't care. He charged the megazord and punched its head. Inside, the Rangers could feel the blow and braced themselves against it. Hitomi and Maria spun their wheels and kept the megazord stable. The megazord countered, punching Otterdil's lower jaw.

Otterdil was not going to give up without a fight and swung to whack the megazord with its tail. But they were not to be fooled again, as the megazord grabbed Otterdil's tail when the otter tried to do it a second time. As Otterdil tried to break free, the megazord lifted him up by the tail—and eliciting a loud cry of pain—and slammed him into Lake Mendota. The megazord stepped on his chest and pushed down. Otterdil grabbed the foot and pushed the megazord off. And he tried to scramble for deeper waters, but the megazord grabbed his tail and pulled him towards dry land. The megazord swung and tossed Otterdil back onto land. And now,

"It's time to end this!" said Sean. "Grand Prix Megazord Saber!" The saber materialized in the Megazord's hands. Now this time, the jets on the megazord were much more powerful as it lifted itself off the ground.

The Golden Megazord took flight towards the monster, ready to finish it off.

" _GOLDEN GRAND PRIX MEGAZORD STRIKE! GO!_ " The Megazord wound up, took a big cut and landed gently in the waters of Lake Mendota. Sparks erupted from the monster until it fell to the ground in an impressive explosion.

:-:-:-: PRGPX :-:-:-:

They returned to the McMansion to find Liz still sitting on the couch, but this time there was a dent in the walls, which was not a good thing, especially since Sean intended on selling the place once he got the chance. "Hey, what happened?" he asked.

"Floki tried to kill me," she said nonchalantly. But, the Rangers sighed and groaned when they realized they were tricked—again. "But more importantly, I am a horrible person."

"No, you are not!" Arquen replied as he tried to comfort the Queen.

"I am selfish for wanting to re-take the throne instead of listening to the peoples' wishes," she sniffed. "I do not deserve to be Queen."

"What kind of talk is that?" Arquen asked. "You will always be MY Queen."

It was much more comforting for Liz than she expected. "Thank you, my love," she said. "What if there was another way?"

"Wellllll," said Sean. "There IS such a thing as constitutional monarchy, where you're still head of state, but not government. And you're pretty much a figurehead. But, there's still democracy."

"I like that," said Liz. "I shall discuss it with the resistance."

:-:-:-: Power Rangers GPX :-:-:-:

Kevin VO: "Next time, on  _Power Rangers GPX Supercharged_!"

Maria: "What's wrong,  _chica_?"

Hitomi: "I'm scared."

Turelie: "I am positive Ms. Fox will join us!"

Hitomi: "What does that mean?"

Gina: "I want to help!"

Eruvanda: "Congratulations!"

Gina: "HITOMI!"

Hitomi: "I think I might be different."

Kevin VO: "That's next time, on  _Power Rangers GPX Supercharged_!"


	20. Daisuki

Arquen VO: "Previously on  _Power Rangers GPX Supercharged_!"

Sean: "You mean you actually took a break from cow-tipping to go to these games?"

Eruvanda: "The Resistance is fighting to remove Ragnar. They are fighting for freedom, and yet I want to—God, I feel selfish."

Arquen: "You should do what you feel is right, of course."

Turelie: "The best opportunity to take the Queen is when the Rangers are out and she is defenseless."

Sean: I'm sorry, but I think we need to see OTTER people!

Eruvanda: "I AM STILL QUEEN! AND I WILL—I  _am_  selfish! Oh god, I am a horrible person!"

Arquen: "You will always be MY Queen."

Sean: "There IS such a thing as constitutional monarchy."

Power Rangers GPX Supercharged, episode 43: Daisuki

:-:-:-: We're the best damn chance you got, Pow-er Rang-gers G-P-X, let's go! :-:-:-:

Hitomi was scared.

She's always known that she likes boys. There was no doubt. She wouldn't have fallen in love with Sean in the first place if she wasn't. Over the years, she's had countless celebrity and real-life crushes on boys, and she wasn't ashamed of it at all. If there was anything to doubt, she didn't know what it was. A lot of times, she and her mom would talk about her crushes—usually crushes of the week—with a laugh and a week. And when she met Aamir, she was certainly attracted to him.

And as mentioned earlier, she fell in love with Sean, and why wouldn't she? The Red Ranger had incredible charisma and handsomeness (the hockey player kind) that drew her to him. There was more than that that drew her attention to him, of course. Maybe it was, despite her being set for life, she didn't know what it was like to be middle-class like he was, or his natural defiance.

But in reality, she was in love with the  _idea_ of Sean, not Sean himself. She loved what he represented: freedom from the crushing strictness, conformity, stuck-up, and stoicism of Japan. She saw the Westerners and their laid-back, defiant attitudes as a breath of fresh air after been underwater for 18 years. It was especially Sean's I-don't-give-a-fuck attitude that drew her to him and caused her to fall for him.

But, if there are characters that they can be compared to, then Sean is Naruto Uzumaki, Maria is Sakura Haruno and Hitomi is Hinata Hyuga (Note: Obviously Naruto ended up with Hinata, but the author ships NaruSaku and naruhina is the worst-executed ship he's ever seen). Sean and Maria spent more time together and gained mutual respect, admiration, trust and attraction through fighting alongside each other and shared interests like baseball. She was too blind to see that they just worked so well and Hitomi expected Sean to notice her from a distance. That's not how Western courtship works, and Hitomi was trapped by her own shyness-loving culture. Sean simply saw Hitomi as the little sister figure he never had.

Sean and Maria were now in a committed, healthy relationship. Hitomi gracefully conceded defeat. In fact, she did have a boyfriend, named Aamir.

… For a few weeks.

For some reason, things just didn't click with him. Now, love is weird, and she's learned that. But what she was feeling right now was different. It was towards a certain elf-girl, and it kept her awake at night.

She lost count of the number of dreams she had involving the elf-girl. She met Gina last fall. They were friends, right?

Right?

There was only one person she could talk to about the matter. Not her parents. Not her brother. Especially not her grandmother.

Maria said across from her, taking a sip of coffee while Sean worked on the night's dinner, a bison shepherd's pie, wearing a Blackhawks apron.

"So tell me what's going on again?" Maria asked. "Oh, wait. Wrong thing to say. What's wrong,  _chica_?"

"I'm scared," said Hitomi.

"About what?" Maria asked. "Finals?"

"No."

"Your grandmother?"

"No."

"The dichotomy of good and evil?"

"No."

"Rich Boy's getting indicted for tax evasion?" Sean asked.

"No."

"Then what?" Maria asked.

Hitomi paused. Maria reached out to grab her shoulder and it was quiet enough for Sean to turn away from the dinner he was making. "Hitomi," Maria said softly. "Are you okay?"

Hitomi's sobs were quiet and soft. Sean and Maria exchanged a knowing glance before both turned back to their respective tasks at hand. "Hitomi," Maria said. "What is it?"

"Something's wrong with me," Hitomi sobbed. "I've been—I've been—thinking of Gina."

"You're worried about her," said Maria. "It's okay. We're all worried about our friends and family. Do you know how often I stay awake at night worrying about my dad and moms?"

"Not like that," said Hitomi.

The day Sean and Maria had feared had come. Or at least it was a day they were concerned about. Sean put the pie in the oven, as it was ready to be put in the oven, removed the apron and walked out of the kitchen. He gestured to the just-passing by Kevin and Ritchie and the three walked away with Sean closing the door behind him to leave Hitomi and Maria alone.

"Hitomi," said Maria. "Tell me. I'm here for you. And if it is what I think it is, I know firsthand."

"But I like boys," Hitomi sobbed. "What if I like girls instead?"

"There's nothing wrong with that," Maria said softly. "My moms and Sean's moms are perfect examples."

"But I don't know," Hitomi sobbed.

"Then tell me," Maria replied. "What's going on?"

Hitomi proceeded to tell Maria about a time when she was 14 years old. There was a girl in her class who was very,  _very_  pretty and who sat next to a boy Hitomi had a crush on. Normally, acknowledging the appearance of someone of the same sex isn't a big deal, especially if they look pretty good. Maria acknowledged that herself as she had to remain skeptical and listen to Hitomi. With some gentle prodding, Hitomi proceeded.

That night, Hitomi had a dream about her. Without getting into detail, she described how this girl haunted her thoughts and dreams until the girl moved away. Ever since then, and every now and then, other girls would give her strange feelings similar to what she felt towards the classmate.

It got a little more intense when she talked about Gina. She described her confused feelings towards the elf-girl in recent weeks. The elf-girl had emphasized her devotion to her and Hitomi practically did the same. She couldn't bear to lose Gina, and it scared her. Again, Maria listened and did not say anything. She was still quiet when Hitomi wrapped up her story. "PLEASE tell me I'm not gay!" Hitomi pleaded with tears running down her cheeks. "How would my family react? I can't be gay! PLEASE TELL ME I'M NOT GAY!"

"You're not gay," Maria replied. Hitomi was relieved for a moment, but Maria wasn't done. "If anything, I think you're like me; you're bisexual. That's not a midway point between gay and straight. It's a genuine sexuality. The 'B' in LGBT has to come from somewhere!"

"But how do you know that!?" Hitomi wailed.

"I  _don't_  know!" Maria replied. "Hitomi, you're discovering something about yourself. Trust yourself and your feelings. It's all right to experiment and try to figure these things out."

"But how will I know?" Hitomi cried.

"The campus has an LGBT Center," said Maria. "I've been there, it's in the Red Gym. Room 123. I cannot tell you what kind of help you can get. All I can tell you is that they'll do the best they can. And, you may have to sign up for a mentorship thing or something."

"Okay," Hitomi said while processing all the information Maria just gave her.

"By the way," Maria said. "What does Gina mean to you?"

"Everything," Hitomi said without thinking.

And once she realized what she said, she froze. And then looked up. But Maria was smiling, and it was a happy smile. "You're in love," said Maria.

"EEEEHHH!?" Hitomi hollered and blushed. "H-how did you know that!?"

"I don't know," said Maria. "But you talk about her like Sean and I talk about each other. I'm just asking because in my experience, discovering you're in love with someone is easier than discovering you're gay or bi. In fact, that's how I found out I was bi. A lot of people realize their sexuality before they start dating, some people find out after."

"But what does that mean?" Hitomi asked.

"There's no easy answer," said Maria. "All I can say is this: If you are in love with her, you need to respect her, appreciate her, admire her, and never take her for granted. A relationship isn't based on kissing. That's how you show affection. A relationship is built on communication, trust, respect and admiration. That's how Sean and I have gotten so far."

"So what should I do?" Hitomi asked.

"I don't know," said Maria. "Maybe you'll discover something on your own. At least make an appointment with the LGBT center."

"Okay," Hitomi said while standing up and muttering that Maria wasn't much of a help.

Maria just sat and watched until Hitomi was out of the house and she screamed excitedly. " _AAAYYYYYY QUE BONITAAAAAA!_ " She got up and nearly tackled Sean when he came into the kitchen.

"I take it something good happened?" he asked.

"SHE'S FIGURED IT OUT!" Maria happily cried. "I'm so proud of my little  _chica_!"

:-:-:-: PRGPX :-:-:-:

"Are you really that determined to get… what's her name… Gina to join your side?" Phaedos asked a very busy Turelie.

"I am positive Ms. Fox will join us!" Turelie replied without once looking up from her work.

"I'll take that as a 'yes'," he muttered. "You know, the Rangers seem to be aware that she has the hots for the Pink Ranger."

Turelie quickly looked up from her work and glared at Phaedos. "If she had any self-respect, she would find a male elf to consort with," she said before turning back to her work. It did make Phaedos clear his throat though, and reach through her arm to grab her bosom. But that prompted her to elbow him angrily. "Do not touch me, Zordonian swine."

"That's not what you said last night," he said while reaching around to grab the pen out of her hand. "I love it when you beg for me."

Turelie stood, but Phaedos grabbed her and pulled her close before smashing his lips against her. "Are you calling me a hypocrite because of this?"

"Yeah," he replied.

"Go to hell," she replied. But not before pulling him in for another scorching tongue-wrestling bout.

:-:-:-: Power Rangers GPX :-:-:-:

Hitomi did make that appointment at the LGBT Center the next morning—actually, afternoon. She called and made the appointment for that afternoon, because one of the mentors had a cancellation because of a family emergency.

And so the heiress stood, shaking, outside of the LGBT Center, gripping her backpack with white-knuckle tightness. The receptionist inside watched her impatiently. Hitomi didn't know she was wasting the receptionist's time, as she was a little worried about whatlay beyond that door. It wasn't so much the paperwork she'd have to do—okay, that was part of the fear. After all, it'd probably take a while for her to said paperwork, and it'd take her longer than—

"If you're ready, you may come in," the receptionist interrupted her reverie, clearly wanting to say something extra snarky had the job not required her to be as welcoming as possible. It made the heiress panic and rush inside to begin the very hard paperwork.

It must have been half an hour before she was given a chance to meet with the mentor (actually 15 minutes, but that's how long it felt). She sat down in front of the mentor while biting her lips and tongue. The mentor kept up a warm and friendly appearance though, and said, "Hi! You're Hitomi, I take it?"

Hitomi nodded. "Can you help me?"

"That depends," said the mentor.

"What does that mean?"

"I can help you figure out a lot of things about yourself, but in the end, only you can decide for yourself. Now then, let's begin. Tell me what you can."

:-:-:-: PRGPX :-:-:-:

"No," Eruvanda said, then took a bite out of Babcock ice cream... at Babcock.

"What?" Gina asked. "Why 'no'?"

The elf-Queen put her ice cream cup down with the pinky cushioning the cup and turning it so it may be positioned correctly. "Your parents want you to graduate high school," said Eruvanda. "And they want you to attend the University. You have no time to get caught up in elven affairs, at least for now."

"You ARE arrogant," Gina replied. The Queen looked up from the ice cream. Her narrowing eyes sent shivers throughout Gina's body, making the younger elf grip her seat and subtly cower from that intense gaze.

"If you mean to imply that I am arrogant because I do not want you to be harmed in getting into affairs you still do not know much about, when Ragnar is still trying to brainwash you into joining him, then yes, I am arrogant. However, I prefer the term 'concerned', instead," said Eruvanda. "The fact that you have stubbornly tried to 'help' the Power Rangers multiple times against their wishes makes me wonder who real arrogant one is here."

"But I want to help!" Gina replied. "Is there anything I can do?"

"I appreciate your support," said Eruvanda. "But I simply do not want you to give up your life on some damn, fool-idealistic crusade."

The elf-girl's pout did not impress the Queen. "It will take more than that to convince me to let you join the revolution when all you have done is prove yourself to be a nuisance, rather than an asset. And, I do not want you to renounce your current life or citizenship in order to do so."

"Is that it?" Gina asked. "THEN FORGET IT!" Gina stood up from her seat and stormed out of the room before Liz had a chance to say anything else. Had she stayed, Liz might had given her another option.

"I did not even get to talk to her about Hitomi," she said to herself.

:-:-:-: Power Rangers GPX :-:-:-:

Sean and Jimmy played catch on the slope of Bascom Hill. Now that it was close to April, it was starting to get to hoodie weather, and the two of them were dressed for the occasion. Not going into detail too much, but whatever.

Anyways, Hitomi just happened to walk past right as Jimmy was about to throw to Sean. The ball would have beaned Hitomi had Jimmy thrown it. "You know, that throw had your name on it," said Jimmy. "And you almost had its name on you too, eh?"

"Oh! Um, sorry, Jimmy!" she said.

"Hey, are you alright?" Jimmy asked.

"Um, yes, I'm alright," she said. "It's just…"

"Did you go to the LGBT Center like Maria suggested?" Sean asked.

Hitomi panicked and took off running. The cousins looked at each other and Sean shrugged.

"I knew it," said Jimmy. All Sean did was sigh and toss his glove back to Jimmy to follow Hitomi. "When did I become a coat rack?" he asked.

Meanwhile, Gina kicked the pavement as she walked away from Babcock and muttering something about how Eruvanda was a stuck-up jerk. All the times she risked her life were all for nothing. Is that it? Were they not interested in having her help?

She kept her head down for so long as she walked towards the nearest bus stop she didn't see the person standing in front of her. "Hello, Gina."

Gina was startled so much she punched the person, but Turelie effortlessly caught her punch. "Impressive form," she said. "You have learned well from the humans."

"TURELIE!" Gina sputtered.

"Of course," said the elf general. "Have you considered my proposal?"

"No," Gina replied.

"Of course," said Turelie. "I suppose I should have considered that. But, the offer still stands. I want you to return to the world of the elves."

"And I'm not supposed to talk to you, especially after my dad—"

"What does Rusco know?" Turelie laughed. "The fool abandoned his people, don't give me a lecture on what he thinks about me or Ragnar!"

Hitomi had been running so fast she had forgotten to stop at Elizabeth Waters Hall. And she'd overran it by about a North Charter Street. And she kept walking without thinking. Instead, she kept reading a brochure the LGBT center provided her with about bisexuality. But as she furrowed her eyebrows and pursed her lips, dissatisfaction only grew. From her perspective, the brochure didn't answer a goddamn question. Neither did the LGBT mentor.

But, in her quest for answers, she wasn't going to find any in such a short about of time with only a few resources, even if those resources were helpful in their own way. At least the brochure was reassuring that Hitomi was normal and not some freak.

She looked up just in time to see two people talking at the Pi-shaped intersection of Linden and Henry Mall across from the Agricultural Hall. As she got closer, she could see that it was—"GINA!"

Something clicked in her and she ran towards Turelie and Gina.

And at the same time, Eruvanda finally caught up to Gina and also became incensed upon sight of her former general.

"TURELIE!" she declared as she walked up to the talking elves. "I thought I smelled a peculiar stench when I departed Babcock Hall."

"Stay out of this, Eruvanda," Turelie warned.

"And why should I?" Liz asked. "She is an elf as I am, why should I not be concerned?"

"Liz, what are you doing?" Gina hissed.

"IF you had not been a petulant teenager and stayed to listen to me, you would have known that I will accept your assistance, just on a part-time basis."

"What?"

"None of your concern, wench," Liz replied. "Gina, I do not want you to throw your life away. I know it is difficult for you now, but we CAN make it better."

Turelie's derisive laugh drew a glare from Liz. "What nonsense!" she said. "What could there be for her? All her friends and associates will die before she does!"

"That has not stopped other elves," Liz replied.

The conversation continued. In the meantime, Sean snuck down Linden to hide behind a tree. Yeah, it wasn't much, but something was better than nothing. And Turelie was not looking at him. He was about to morph and attack when he saw Hitomi making a bee-line for the conversation and decided it was best not to intervene. But he was worried about Hitomi.

"But what could be this important to Gina that would make her want to stay?" Turelie asked.

Lia didn't respond, at least not verbally. She simply looked to the side at Hitomi walking towards them.

"Are you mad?" Turelie asked.

"She IS Gina's best friend," said Liz.

"Man, this is a mess," Sean muttered to himself. "And confusing."

"And what did I already say?" Turelie asked. "The girl will DIE long before Gina does."

"You know, you're starting to sound REALLY condescending," Gina said while pointing at Turelie.

"She has a point," said Liz.

"You should be lucky I do not slap you right here, Eruvanda!" Turelie snapped.

"Queen!" Liz sassed back.

"Leave Gina alone, Turelie," said Hitomi.

"Um, you guys aren't helping," said Gina.

Liz bowed and backed away. "Of course," she said. "I apologize, Gina. It IS your decision, after all. What do you want to do?"

Gina looked around at all three of them. But each time, her eyes went back to Hitomi and the heiress's sad, yet hopeful eyes. Something inside her felt at home whenever she saw the heiress. The two locked eyes and Gina's mind was made up. "I want… to stay!" she said.

Turelie should have accepted defeat like an honorable general, but she did not. Instead, she lunged at Gina in an attempt to take her. But Gina did punched and kicked at Turelie, even with her bad form, and it impressed Liz. But then Turelie gut punched Gina, knocking the elf-girl out. That in turn, enraged Hitomi.

"GPX, START IT UP!" she shouted, morphed, and attacked. She punched at Turelie as the elf general reached to grab Gina. The general held her off while simultaneously keeping the Queen away. She snapped her fingers. Suitroops appeared and grabbed Hitomi to keep her down.

"I am taking her to the world she belongs," said Turelie.

"GPX! START IT UP!" Sean shouted, morphed and ran towards them.

"GINA! DON'T TAKE HER! I LOVE HER—!" Hitomi clamped her hand over her mouth.

The only person not completely gobsmacked was Liz. Oh, and Gina, but she was knocked out. But Turelie blinked and tried to comprehend what she just heard. "Excuse me?" she asked, unaware the Gina was beginning to stir.

Though Hitomi still couldn't believe what she just said, it felt… kinda nice. It was like a great weight had been lifted off her shoulders and she was proud for the first time in a long time. Yes, she DID love Gina. It was a life-changing realization and it felt like the best thing that had ever happened. It reverberated through her head and she came to terms with it. "I think I like girls!" She announced. "And I'm in love with Gina!"

"You must be joking," said Turelie. "How can you—"

"We live in a modern age, Turelie," said Liz. "It should not matter whether you love someone of the same or opposite species, or the opposite or same sex."

"What an abomination," said Turelie.

"I have heard that too many times from human fools to be surprised," Liz replied before lunging and taking Gina off Turelie's shoulders and kicking the general in the stomach.

"Well, cat's out of the bag," Sean sighed. He was watching the events unfold and had gotten distracted. Now, he rushed the Suitroops to help Hitomi get the robots off of her. Now the Pink Ranger was free to run up to Turelie and punched the general in the face. Turelie angrily staggered back to her feet as Sean ran up and delivered a powerful Superman punch to Turelie.

"Gina," Liz said softly. The elf-girl came to while Liz helped her up. Realization hit Gina, and she felt worse than when she did earlier.

"I'm useless," she said.

"No, you are not," said Liz. "In fact, you fought well. Turelie simply has more experience than you, and that is nothing to be ashamed of. And, I am sure there is someone who would be devastated to hear your self-doubt."

"What?"

"Hitomi loves you," Liz said with a smile. Now Gina was as surprised as everyone else when Hitomi announced it earlier. She watched Sean and Hitomi fighting Turelie with the elf-general struggling to hold them off. Naturally, her focus was on Hitomi.

 _Hitomi loves me?_  She thought. And she thought about it a little more.  _Hitomi loves me! And I think I love her too?_

Sean elbowed Turelie in the chin and swept the general off her feet. He pointed to Hitomi and back to Turelie. The Pink Ranger ran up, and dropped a hard elbow onto Turelie's chest. "IF YA SMEEEEEELLLLLLALALALALALA WHAT THE RANGERS! ARE! COOKIN!" he bellowed as he stood on Turelie's chest.

The others finally arrived and Turelie knew that it was over. So she teleported away without a second thought.

And as the Rangers congratulated Hitomi, Sean whispered something in Maria's ear. In the meantime, Liz helped Gina up from the pavement. "You could have done better," she said. "But, as I said, you may still have an opportunity."

"Thanks," said Gina.

:-:-:-: PRGPX :-:-:-:

It was later in the afternoon at the Ranger house. The guys were playing street hockey outside, acting like 12-year-olds once again. Hitomi and Maria stood off to the side, watching everything unfold.

"So…" Maria said. "I heard about what happened."

"You did?" Hitomi asked.

"I'm proud of you,  _chica_ ," said Maria.

"Oh," Hitomi said with a blush. "I… don't know what came over me."

"This is just the beginning," said Maria. "You know, now that I think about it, this could help our cause out. I'm not saying you should date her because of the cause. Date her because you care about her."

"Okay," said Hitomi.

Gina and Liz where inside the house, specifically the foyer. Gina flexed and cracked her fingers while standing in said foyer, watching Liz inspect an elven sword. "So… what now?" Gina asked.

"To be honest, you have not proven yourself yet," said Liz. "But, I admire your enthusiasm. And if you had not left, I was about to tell you there is such a thing as dual-citizenship."

"OMIGOSH!" Gina squealed. "You mean!?"

"I mean you can help," said Liz. "Now then, kneel before your Queen."

Gina did as requested. Liz drew the sword and tapped her shoulder. "Gina Fox," she said. "Do you swear your loyalty to the elven people, without renouncing your previous life?"

"I swear," said Gina.

"Do you swear to serve your people and Queen to the best of your ability?"

"I swear," said Gina.

"And do you swear your loyalty to your Queen?"

"I swear!" Gina said enthusiastically.

"Congratulations, Gina Fox!" Eruvanda said as she lifted the sword from Gina's shoulder. "I officially welcome you to the cause!"

"Thank you so much!" Gina jumped up and tightly hugged Liz. The Queen was stronger than she looked, so she hugged her back. She looked up though, and saw Hitomi entering the house. Maria gestured to Liz to follow her.

"I shall leave the both of you alone," she said, letting go of Gina. She whispered in Hitomi's ear, "Take good care of her."

Eruvanda walked out of the house to watch the street hockey game, nodding to the just-entered Hitomi. "So what does this mean?" Hitomi asked tentatively.

"I'm going to be helping Eruvanda," Gina replied with subtle pride.

"That's amazing!" Hitomi said, rushing to hug her best friend, which Gina returned, squeezing the Japanese girl until the heiress moved away a bit. "Sorry," said Hitomi.

"It's okay," said Gina. "Actually, this, um, feels… really nice." While they were quiet, they could hear Sean shouting after scoring in the boys' street hockey game. Nervously, Hitomi moved her arms so that they were around Gina's neck and pulled her closer.

"I… are you comfortable?" she asked.

"I'm fine," said Gina. She showed that by holding Hitomi tighter, which surprised the heiress. "Are you okay?"

"I… talked to Maria earlier," said Hitomi. "And I talked to others. I think I might be different."

"How?" Gina asked.

Hitomi was scared, and Gina knew it. Just by the look on Hitomi's face, she knew she'd discovered something about herself that was causing the fear. "I… like… boys…" she said, but in a way that sounded like she was reminding herself she was supposed—"And… girls."

Did she just—"Are you saying…" Gina said, "That you're bi?"

"I don't know," Hitomi said. Both girls squeezed harder.

"And you're serious about your feelings for me?"

"I guess so," Hitomi replied. "Because all I know is that… the way Maria said I talk about you is the same way she and Sean talk about each other."

Gina quietly gasped and smiled, hugging her closer. "I'm so happy," she said.

"Why?" Hitomi asked.

"Because now I can… I mean, may I?" She glanced at Hitomi's lips, and before both girls knew it, they were kissing.

:-:-:-: Power Rangers GPX :-:-:-:

Maria VO: "Next time on  _Power Rangers GPX Supercharged_!"

Arquen: "I hope Tiris is alright."

Jimmy: "What's going on between those two?"

Ragnar: "You must battle Arquen."

Arquen: "Please do not do this, Tiris."

Tiris: "I must, Arquen."

Arquen: "So be it."

Sean: "DON'T!"

Maria VO: "That's next time on  _Power Rangers GPX Supercharged!_ "

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And thus the most anticipated moment in PRGPX Supercharged, Part 2 comes to pass. Gina and Hitomi are official. I'm not going to comment on how the moment was executed, but I'm only going to let you do it. Actually, I didn't like the first draft, so I revised it.
> 
> This was inspired by The Legend of Korra finale, in which the titular character ends the series beginning a romantic relationship with another woman. I felt the pressure immediately. And I wanted to do something similar until I realized that I had Hitomi and Gina. And, with the Supreme Court's marriage equality ruling last week, it put more pressure on me to get to this. So, while this is not the first same-sex couple in any Power Rangers fic, I hope it will be influential for other Power Rangers fic writers.
> 
> So PLEASE tell me what you think!


	21. Arquen vs. Tiris

Hitomi VO: "Last time on  _Power Rangers GPX Supercharged_!"

Maria: "So tell me what's going on again?"

Hitomi: "How would my family react? I can't be gay! PLEASE TELL ME I'M NOT GAY!"

Maria: "You're bisexual … You're in love."

Turelie: "If she had any self-respect, she [Gina] would find a male elf to consort with."

Eruvanda: "You have no time to get caught up in elven affairs, at least for now."

Gina: "THEN FORGET IT!"

Turelie: "I want you to return to the world of the elves."

Liz: "IF you had not been a petulant teenager and stayed to listen to me, you would have known that I will accept your assistance, just on a part-time basis."

Gina: "I want… to stay!"

Hitomi: "I'm in love with Gina!"

Gina: "I'm so happy."

Power Rangers GPX Supercharged, episode 44: Arquen vs. Tiris

:-:-:-: We're the best damn chance you've got, Pow-wer Rang-gers G-P-X, let's go! :-:-:-:

Arquen watched the video Tiris had sent them of the meeting he had with the students not too long ago. Most of the students, who had started the riots on Christmas Eve, looked on in skepticism at Tiris. The colonel fidgeted and wiped his brow every now and then, especially whenever a student pointed an accusatory finger at him, which made Arquen cringe in second-hand embarrassment. But he had to watch or else he could not figure how his best friend was doing.

" _Not once have you told us whether the Queen has ulterior motives or not!_ " a student accused. " _Tell us now or the deal is off!_ "

" _She has NO ulterior motives!_ " Tiris pleaded. " _She wants democracy like all of you!_ "

" _HA! A fanciful story if I ever saw one!_ " a student laughed. " _Will she do anything about_ _this_ _?_ " He held a picture up, both to Tiris and to the camera, of a dissenter, as the notes written on the picture indicated, about to be executed by a Suitroop. Arquen once again cringed at the sight of it.

" _Of course she will!_ " Tiris insisted. He could tell by his body language that he was not lying. It was just that the body language of every other person in the room was hostile towards him.

And it was enough for Arquen to take. He stopped the video and closed the window on Sean's laptop. He rubbed his forehead and muttered a prayer for him. The date read "1/23/2011". Obviously, with this being so close to April, Tiris may have had better luck since then.

Didn't mean Arquen had his hopes up.

Eruvanda walked up behind him and slipped her arms around his neck from behind. She kissed his cheek and let her soft presence put him at ease. "You are troubled, my love."

"I hope Tiris is okay," he said.

"I hope so, too," she replied. "You miss him."

"Absolutely," he replied. "Although, I am certain he would be happy to know that I am not alone." He turned his head and kissed the Queen he loved.

"Get a fucking room, you two," Jimmy sighed, looking up from the mug of Tim Horton's he had.

"I have gotten sick of that phrase," Arquen muttered.

"Whatever," the Canadian Ranger trainee muttered before getting up and walking out of the house to see Sean getting ready to take AJ for a walk. "Mind if I come?" he asked his cousin.

"Sure," said Sean. "I'm heading to campus."

The two set out, with AJ in tow. They walked down Langdon Street, past a couple frats, which Sean flipped off while hiding his finger in his jacket pocket. They finally reached campus after about ten minutes of walking and turned onto Memorial Mall, where they would get some grub from the food carts.

Jimmy just so happened to turn around to see two people coming towards them. Aside from Ritchie, whom he heard coming from the direction of the bookstore, that is. But looking towards the west, he saw two girls who looked very familiar coming towards them.

It was Hitomi and Prof. Fox—Rusco's daughter. And they were holding hands.

He tapped Sean on the shoulder and pointed at them. "What's going on with those two?" he asked.

"Why the hell are you so curious?" Sean asked.

Jimmy didn't have to ask, because Hitomi and Gina noticed them and ran up to them. Sean's rolling eyes were a pretty good indication of what was about to happen next. If anything, their little display of cutesy PDA that was obviously a result of their naiveté when it came to romantic relationships screamed the obvious to him. Again, Sean's reaction and Ritchie mouthing something about PDA (at least that's what Jimmy thought it was) made their announcement nothing but icing on the cake. "We're dating," Gina said with a blush.

"HA!" Jimmy shouted, startling some of the passers-by for about a second and turning to Sean. "You owe me ten bucks! Pay up!"

"WHAT!?" Sean shouted. "What the fuck are you talking about!?"

"That bet, hoser!" Jimmy replied. "I bet you ten bucks they'd get together, now pay up!" Jimmy ignored Hitomi and Gina's embarrassment, and only focused on the ten dollar bill that Sean reluctantly handed over while muttering something about not remembering making that bet. "I'm the first one to point it out," he said proudly. Both girls blushed heavily, making Sean elbow his cousin.

"An interracial, interspecies, same-sex relationship," Ritchie said. "Sounds like some teabaggers are gonna bitch about liberal tokenization or something."

"Let 'em whine," said Sean.

"What about us?" Hitomi asked.

"Listen, Hitomi," said Sean, laying his hand on Hitomi's shoulder, "Just remember that this is a  _re-lay-shun-ship_. It's not based on hugging or kissing, that's how you show affection. It's based on trust, respect, communication, and… damn, I forgot. Whatever, just work on it."

"Wow, that's mature," said Ritchie.

"Punch him for me, Jimmy."

"No prob."

"OW!"

"Thanks, Couz. Oh, by the way, I think I'll embarrass her a little more. You wanna know how she came out of the closet?" Hitomi blushed and hid her face as Sean said in a terribad falsetto, "No, no, I love her! I love Gina!"

Jimmy and Ritchie shouldn't have laughed, but they found it way too funny not to laugh at. Hitomi was relieved that her new girlfriend took Sean's teasing in stride, although she too was a little embarrassed.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I shouldn't be teasing you," he said. "But big brothers do that! I do it with Tommy all the time, remember?"

"Hitomi, it's okay," said Gina. "He doesn't mean any harm!"

"Okayyyyy," Hitomi moaned. "I just wish Daisuke could be like him."

"Have you told Rich Boy yet?" Jimmy asked. Hitomi shook her head.

"He's gonna find out," said Ritchie. "And then that Old Hag is gonna find out too, dontcha know."

"And once Ragnar finds out, he's gonna be pissed, too," said Sean. "Actually, I can't wait to see that." His toothy, wide grin exposed his anticipation.

:-:-:-: PRGPX :-:-:-:

Needless to say, Ragnar was… not happy. It's not just the interspecies part. And it's not just the same-sex part. It's both. And a few other things, like the fact that Turelie FAILED once again to get Rusco's daughter over to their side, "And now it is likely she will never join her true people!" he finished.

Turelie stood across from his desk, her eyes and fists clenching up. He continued to chew her out for her perceived incompetence, a perception she didn't particularly like. But like any employee didn't dare yell back at their boss or a customer, yelling back to him was unwise in so many ways. Instead, she winced at every insult and cringed at each failure he listed. She opened her eyes to look at Phaedos just sitting down, talking with his Zordonian comrade Tirna. Oh, and Ragnar noticed she was looking to the side. "PAY. ATTENTION." He ordered.

"Yes, Commander," she said.

"You are lucky we are so close to unleashing our endgame," said Ragnar. "Otherwise, you know the consequences. That is why I am going to keep you on a short leash and away from the Rangers for the time being."

"Yes, Commander," Turelie said sadly.

"There must be someone who is not as incompetent as—" He was interrupted when Tiris burst into his office in a huff, bent over at the waist, trying to catch his breath. Ragnar rolled his eyes and turned to the Colonel, who quickly realized he was in trouble. "Tiris! This is the fourth meeting you have been late to this month! What is the meaning of this!?"

"I apologize, Commander," Tiris breathed. "I simply have no excuses."

"Nor explanations," said Ragnar. "At least HIS incompetence is not as likely to cost victories, unlike yours or Arquen's did." But once he finished his sentence, he glanced over at Turelie. Her saddened expression was gone, replaced by a sly one. "TIRIS!"

"Yes, Commander!"

"I have an assignment for you!"

"What is it?"

"Take a company of Suitroops to Madison," he said. "You know what to do."

"Yes, Commander," Tiris said with a salute.

"And one more thing," said Ragnar. "You must battle Arquen."

Tiris stood in his place without flinching, but his eyes subtly widened. However, he saluted again. "Yes, Commander! I will deal with the traitor as per your order!" he said before departing.

Once he was out of earshot, Turelie turned to Ragnar. "He seems eager," she said.

"Perhaps he is keeping up for appearance," said Ragnar. "Are you positive spies spotted him at the resistance meeting?"

"He must know we are suspicious," said Turelie. "Why have we not arrested him yet?"

"Because he is still needed," said Ragnar. "By the way, I will be attending the opera tonight. I HOPE there will be no embarrassments before then."

"I guarantee there will be none," said Turelie.

:-:-:-: Power Rangers GPX :-:-:-:

The pictures Arquen examined were said to be from the prison camps. He could certainly see that to be the case. In one photo, a Suitroop had its staff pointed at the head of an elf he recognized. His named was Glorfindel, and he was a critic against the monarchy and the military (in fact, the writing on the back of the picture confirmed this). And though the caption confirmed his morbid suspicions, the glowing stone in the Suitroop's energy staff and the way Glorfindel was position was that of an execution. It was taken just moments before his execution.

There were more pictures. Guards viciously assaulted an inmate. The "food", if it could be called that, was barely edible. There were bodies hung like ribbons, dripping blood. Though it had only been a few months, many of them were in such poor shape that death would be merciful. He gagged and almost choked as he put the picture down. There was far worse in those pictures, but the general could not continue on anymore. Seeing the suffering of his own people like that was heart-wrenching beyond all words, whether they be in a human or elven language.

Maria had walked into the kitchen to pick up a picture before promptly shuddering and dropping it. " _Ay dios mio_ ," she said.

"And this has been happening within the last few months," he said. "Even the construction appears to be rushed in such a way."

"I've seen  _favela_  houses with better construction," Maria said as she looked at one picture of a camp building.

"But worse is seeing my fellow elves being treated so horribly," said Arquen. "I feel like Maedhros when he had to stand by and watch as the Feanrin slaughtered his kingdom."

"Okay…" Maria said. "I do not know anything about elf mythology, but I'll take your word for it. OH! Or perhaps when the Apostles had to watch Jesus die on the Cross." She quickly looked up and made the Sign of the Cross.

"Perhaps these metaphors are not going to work," said Arquen. "Who is Jesus?"

"My Savior," she said while making the Sign of the Cross again.

"Ah, human religion," said Arquen. "I suppose it is not much different from ours. Is he a god?"

"He IS the Son of God," said Maria. "Born to a virgin."

"I have heard that before," said Arquen.

"Maria, are you trying to convert our guest?" Sean teased as he walked into the kitchen with AJ in tow. Maria glanced over to Sean and rolled her eyes. Arquen rolled his eyes as well and chalked this up to a playful lovers' disagreement.

"Get a room, you two," he quipped.

"We're supposed to say that to you," Sean replied.

Arquen displayed the connected index-middle finger gesture. Sean rolled his eyes. Upon rolling his eyes, he got a look at the pictures Arquen was looking at.

"What are you looking at?" Sean asked.

"My faith in elf-kind slipping away," Arquen said.

"Why? How bad it—Oh, my god." He had picked up a photo and dropped it like a hot potato. "Those things are alive, right?"

"Barely."

"And how long have they been there for?"

"Three months? Perhaps more. I do not remember Ragnar arresting enemies."

"Jesus Christ!" Sean whispered.

" _Ay dios mio_ ," Maria said as well, getting close to him.

Arquen had enough, and he picked the photos up. "I apologize," he said. "As if we needed any more proof that Ragnar is a vile creature."

"We have proof for the judge," said Sean.

"… I suppose."

The moment was interrupted by their beeping morphers. " _Teleportation energy has been detected on the west side of Madison,_ " said the Project Ranger agent.

" _Allons-Y!_ " Sean ordered. They followed him out the door as they morphed.

They drove their Indys, the Indy Car-like personal vehicles they haven't used on camera since part 1, to the suburban, strip mall-infested west side of Madison. Of course, this had an advantage over the clustered downtown Madison and the UW campus, and that was they had much more room to do battle with the enemy.

Sean made that clear when he jumped out of his Indy into a mosh pit of Suitroops. His fist connected with the first Suitroop he came up to. He spun about, taking Suitroops down all around him. He grabbed a pair of Suitroops, spun and flung them through the air into the road and a tree. The Red Ranger ran and jumped through the air to land among the Suitroops. He kicked a Suitroop. The Suitroop blocked it. He followed up and knocked the Suitroop's head off. With enough room, he grabbed a Suitroop and slammed it into another one.

Kevin ran up to the hostages—a fact that didn't even surprise him anymore—and took out the Suitroops in front of the strip mall. The lead Suitroop grabbed a panicking hostage and held an energy staff to their head. But Kevin did not seem impressed, so he punched the Suitroop's head off instead. "Go on, get out of here!" he ordered to the hostages. They didn't hesitate to leave. The Suitroop that came up behind him did not fool him. He just kicked the Suitroop's head off.

Arquen punched the first Suitroop and elbowed one behind him in the same stroke. He spun out of the way as two of his former charges crashes into each other. He kicked another Suitroop in the head and ducked under another one, then he punched that same robot in its stomach. The Suitroops that came after him next met with the bottom of his boot and his fist. He danced and leapt to avoid a wall of Suitroops that came for him, then pulled out his blaster and shot them.

Maria, meanwhile, had already gone after the robot co-leading the attack, but had to fight her way through some more Suitroops that had blocked her path. She threw some punches and kicks at them. They blocked and countered. She blocked and countered, before spinning on her left heel to deliver a reverse roundhouse kick to the Suitroops surrounding her. She side-kicked a Suitroop that rushed up to her, then grabbed it and tossed it aside.

Now that she had a certain someone in her life, Hitomi fought like a new person. She spun and twirled through the maze of Suitroops, punching, kicking and elbowing all the while. A Suitroop rushed up to her, but she rolled out of the way and came back to deliver a powerful punch to the Suitroop. A Suitroop kicked her off her feet, but she landed on her hands and spun like a top, kicking the Suitroops off of her before getting back up and kicking another one.

As for Ritchie, he had it relatively easier. He rolled under a Suitroop, then jumped back up to deliver a Superman punch to that Suitoop. A Suitroop grabbed him from behind, but he took it and tossed it to the ground. He leapt out of the way of another incoming Suitroop. Some of them bared down on him, but he punched and kicked them to the side. As another Suitroop came for him, he extended his arm out to the side to clothesline the enemy into submission.

The robot watched all this and took aim at the Rangers. This new, sleek robot, which for some reason, looked like Gargotron, fired an energy blast into a crowd of Suitroops. Not the right decision you'd expect from a bad guy, but the massive explosion that, while destroying a storefront, grabbed the Rangers' attention, like it should have.

It also grabbed Arquen's attention, because when he saw who was accompanying the robot, his jaw dropped and his heart sank.

Tiris stood next to it, holding his sword and pointing it at him. "Arquen!" he announced. "I am here to collect a bounty on your head, traitor!"

"Please do not do this, Tiris," Arquen pleaded with a heavy heart. "Please—"

"I must, Arquen," Tiris replied.

But something happened. Arquen read his best friend's expression and saw something in it that the other Rangers, who were already casting insults at him, did not see. "Wait!" he said to his teammates. "I will deal with Tiris. You fight the robot."

"Don't!" Sean pleaded.

"It is obvious he is faking it," Arquen whispered. "I can see it in his eyes. He is acting so that Ragnar will not suspect a thing."

"Oh," said Sean. "In that case, LET'S GO, BOYS AND GIRLS!" He and the human Rangers broke away from Arquen and attacked the robot.

Tiris winked at him and Arquen got the signal. "So be it!" he announced as if he was serious, summoning his Green Ranger sword. Tiris also pointed his sword at him. The two lunged at each other and the fight was on.

They moved almost inhumanly fast and struck with laser-like precision. Their swords clanged loudly against each other's. They made the parking lot they were fighting in their personal battlefield. They were putting on a show to fool any bystanders, and hopefully, Ragnar. Kinda like pro wrestling.

Arquen broke away from Tiris and waited for his friend to attack. He waited for Tiris to thrust his sword, but Tiris's downwards swing almost caught him off guard. But he managed to block and parry the strike before backhanding a counter. Tiris jumped out of the way, looking very much like he was on wires all the while. Arquen ran up to him and started swinging away. Tiris blocked each attack just as quickly before backhanding his own counter that cut through Arquen's midsection, throwing sparks around. Arquen fell backwards but got back up and thrust his sword at Tiris.

His friend stepped out of the way, grabbed his wrist and elbowed his former superior in the helmet. Dazed, Arquen stumbled backwards until Tiris grabbed him and thrust his knee into the former general's midsection. Arquen collapsed on the pavement but began to get back up. "This is not over," he said.

"It will be soon," Tiris replied.

The robot tripped Ritchie off his feet and the Gold Ranger slammed to the ground. Kevin jumped over him to kick the robot. The sleeker robot blocked Kevin's kick, but Kevin punched it. The robot stumbled backwards and Kevin was now able to kick it. Sean ran up, grabbed the robot's leg and yanked its other foot out from under it. The robot then kicked him in the back. He stumbled forward, almost to the pavement but Maria caught him. He patted her arm and then bent down so Hitomi could jump off his back to punch the robot.

The robot staggered and stumbled backwards, but kept its balance. Maria and Sean ran up to the robot and kicked the robot in perfect synchronization. Who says being in a relationship hurts teamwork? The robot kicked at Sean. He jumped backwards, but Maria stayed put, summoned her Haz Daggers and backhanded swiped at it, but it grabbed her wrists. That is, until Sean tacked it.

Now Ritchie and Hitomit had their chances. Ritchie roundhouse kicked the robot, but the robot blocked it. That gave Hitomi an opening. She took it, and punched the robot's midsection. Even if it was always strange that a robot would double over at the midsection. But it didn't matter. Kevin ran up and tried to elbow the robot's head. But it got out of the way and kicked Kevin in the solar plexus.

Sean punched the robot. The robot blocked it and countered. It punched Sean in the gut. It was not unexpected for him to double over.

Hitomi saw an opening. She vaulted herself off his back, which he didn't mind, and kicked the robot down. She was about to go for the kill when she caught a glimpse of the DBZ-like speed at which Arquen and Tiris were fighting. "EEEEH!?"

"DAYUM," Sean gaped. The other Rangers were also so distracted, the robot took one big swipe and knocked all five of them to the ground.

Arquen glanced at his Ranger teammates for a second, but it allowed Tiris to elbow him in the head. The fight had now turned into a brutal, up-close-and-personal brawl, with both combatants hammering each other almost to a pulp (if Arquen wasn't wearing a nigh-indestructible helmet). He grabbed Tiris's uniform—a rather nice uniform, to be fair, and it looked brand new—and punched his jaw. "I apologize for hitting you that hard, but I will not apologize for doing what is right!" he said.

"Traitor!" Tiris said before he sweep-kicked Arquen off his feet. He lifted his foot to stomp on his head, but Arquen rolled out of the way. He got back up and waited for Tiris to rush him. He raised his fist. Tiris could see what was about to happen. Arquen right-hooked his jaw. And then, when Tiris was still recovering, he delivered a kick we like to call Sweet Chin Music.

At the same time, the human Rangers were still duking it out with the robot. It now pushed Ritchie down to the ground. The Oneida Rocket struggled under the robot's strength. But he bought enough time for Sean to deliver his own Sweet Chin Music. The robot stumbled backwards and Sean punched it as a follow-up. Again, Hitomi jumped on top of him and launched herself to swipe the robot with her GP Sword. She wasn't alone. Maria roundhouse kicked the robot in the back. And now that it stumbled forward, and Ritchie had gotten up, he clotheslined the robot.

"FINISH IT, KEV!" Sean bellowed.

Kevin walked up to the robot and lifted it onto his shoulders. Then, F5! An audible, yet satisfying crunch could be heard as the robot hit the pavement and Kevin roared, punched the air and shouted " _ **FAUGH AND BALLAGH!**_ "

The crunch was loud enough for Tiris to hear and he turned his head away from Arquen, who punched his cheek hard enough to leave a visible bruise for days.

Sean summoned the GT Sword. "SUPERCHARGE!" he ordered. The Rangers, except for Ritchie, took their keys out and jammed them into their weapons. "FIRE!" They fired at the stumbling and malfunctioning robot. Sean twisted his key, raised his sword, stepped forward and cut the robot in two.

Again, the resulting explosion distracted Tiris as he wrestled with Arquen. But this time, he knew it was time to leave. So, just to make sure the deal was sold, he defiantly punched Arquen before releasing himself from the grip. However, he quickly winked as he teleported away.

The other Rangers ran up to him and removed their helmets. He panted and sat on the pavement with his chest heaving. He too removed his helmet to show his face was flustered and partially bruised. "Arquen, you okay?" Sean asked when he tried to help him up.

"I am alright," he panted.

"What was that!?" Ritchie. "That was like an anime fight!"

"I was holding back," Arquen replied. "It was more like that strange sport you call professional wrestling."

"EH!?" Hitomi gasped. "Were you two faking it?"

"Ragnar must have tried to set him against me," said Arquen. "I could tell that he was playing along to keep up appearances."

"I already knew this," said Sean. "He already told me."

"That's good," said Kevin. "Let's just hope it fooled Ragnar."

:-:-:-: PRGPX :-:-:-:

The singer, dressed in ancient Elven battle armor, raised his sword and held his note as the audience stood in applause. Ragnar, watching in one of the luxury balconies, lowered his opera glasses and stood up to applaud as well as the curtains closed on the scene. The music ended and lights went up. "End of Act 1," the PA announcer spoke.

Ragnar sighed happily and adjusted his uniform jacket, sash and medals. "Ah, what a fine opera you chose," said Governor Lindir of Alfheim.

"I have always favored the story of Maedhros," said Ragnar. "Such tragedy. Thank you for coming with me, Governor."

"The pleasure is all mine," said Governor Lindir.

They heard a knock on the door to the suite amidst the bustling commotion downstairs. "Come in," Ragnar said.

Turelie entered the suite with Tiris in tow. He held a bag of ice to his cheek while wincing. The two officers saluted their superior. "Apologies for the interruption," said Turelie. "You have no idea how difficult it was to get him in here without a ticket."

"What happened?" Ragnar asked.

"I did as you told me," said Tiris. "I fought Arquen. It was a bloody and brutal fight. I wish I could have come out victorious, but the Rangers defeated—"

"ENOUGH!" Ragnar shouted and held his hand up. "I apologize. It is obvious you did your best despite the circumstances. The both of you are dismissed." The two saluted and left the suite.

"You lost to the Rangers again?" Governor Lindir asked.

"I assure you, we will—"

"I can have patience, but others cannot!" Lindir interrupted. Ragnar glared at him. The governor's blood chilled and his expression became fearful.

"Trust me, Lindir," said Ragnar. "I know what I am doing. And I suggest you do not question me. Now, I apologize. Let us enjoy the rest of the opera."

:-:-:-: Power Rangers GPX :-:-:-:

Ritchie VO: "Next time on  _Power Rangers GPX Supercharged_!"

Therapist: "Come on, MOVE IT!"

Aaron: "This is driving me insane!"

Tirna: "We have finally found what we are looking for."

Sean: "Are you just making excuses?"

Aaron: "Get off my back!"

Tiris: "You do not want to know what comes next."

Ragnar: "We are almost there."

Ritchie VO: That's next time on  _Power Rangers GPX Supercharged_!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WOO! So, how was that? Sorry I didn't get this done or in earlier. I was taking a bit of another break from GPX, but don't worry. I'm still committed to this fic. I'm also in the midst of preparing the endgame, and although I cannot promise it will be epic and awesome, I'll do my damndest to make sure that it is!
> 
> This one was also a much-needed chapter. Yeah, I've been talking about camps and the like, but I had to show what Ragnar was doing. I saw Mad Max: Fury Road, and it changed my perception of the rule. So, even though I probably won't have room for it, I had to show at least something that made him out to be well, bad. And of course, he'd get suspicious of Tiris. OH! I also had to show Tiris talking to student resistance movement.
> 
> So what do you think? Was that awesome? Let me know! The review button is right down there!


	22. Resolve

Sean VO: "Last time on  _Power Rangers GPX Supercharged_!"

Eruvanda: "You are troubled, my love."

Arquen: "I hope Tiris is okay."

Gina: "We're dating."

Ragnar: (To Tiris) "Take a company of Suitroops to Madison. You know what to do… You must battle Arquen."

Tiris: "Yes, Commander!"

Arquen: "I will deal with Tiris. You fight the robot."

(Arquen and Tiris fight. It's an intense struggle with neither of them coming on top. The Rangers defeat the robot in question)

Arquen: "I was holding back."

Ragnar: "It is obvious you did your best despite the circumstances."

Power Rangers GPX Supercharged, episode 45: Resolve

:-:-:-: We're the best damn chance you've got, Power Rangers G-P-X, let's go! :-:-:-:

Aaron's back felt like it was about to give out. He strained his back and face, struggling to complete the wall-sitting exercise amidst the rehab trainer's shouts of encouragement. His eyelids crushed together and he screamed before falling back on the mat, grabbing his back. "Fuck, fuck, FUCK!" he shouted as he writhed on the mat.

"You're doing better!" the therapist said. "Now come on, MOVE IT! You're almost there!"

"HOW!?" he shouted. "I HAVEN'T GOTTEN ANYWHERE!"

"Aaron, relax!"

"DON'T FUCKING TELL ME TO RELAX!" he screamed, drawing an eye roll from the trainer. "IT'S BEEN ALMOST FIVE MONTHS AND MY BACK IS STILL KILLING ME!"

"Aaron, if you want to get better, you need to stop yelling at me," his trainer said firmly and gently. "I'm trying my best."

Aaron's face relaxed as he could feel some of the agonizing back pain go away, allowing him to sit up straight. His dreadlocks hung off his head, and his sweaty face wore a guilty expression. "I know," he said. "And I'm sorry. I just want the pain to go away now now. This is driving me insane!"

"Now-now? What's that—oh, South African thing," the trainer muttered. "Aaron, having done this for ten years, let me tell you that physical therapy is neither quick, nor easy. You gotta work on it, buddy." He turned around to look at the TV.

The Power Rangers were in the middle of a fight with one of the bad monsters over on the west side, near West High. Aaron watched the fight, gingerly crossed his legs and sighed with an equally-wistful expression. His trainer bit and licked his lip, turned back towards the TV and patted the Joburger's shoulder. Aaron turned his head towards him. The trainer gave him a knowing look and a nod. Aaron nodded in reply. Then he turned back to the TV to watch the fight. "Just a little longer, Aaron, just a little longer," he said to himself.

:-:-:-: PRGPX :-:-:-:

The Rangers had this one in the bag. The monster was weak, compared to other monsters. Didn't mean he was a piece of cake, as evidenced by how he smacked Arquen to the side, making him tumble on the pavement until he crashed into a car.

"Oh boy, that's gonna cause some trouble!" said Sean.

"WHAT are you doing!?" the Zordonian general-in-the-employ-of-Ragnar Tirna shouted. "You're overmatched, LEAVE!"

"You talking to us, or the shitty monster!?" Sean taunted. "You, um… say, what's your gender?"

"Why should I tell you?" Tirna asked. "But if you must know, I don't subscribe to a binary gender spectrum! In fact, I don't subscribe to gender one bit!"

"Well, um, whatever… you're more comfortable with, I guess," said Ritchie.

"I don't think that's the right thing to say," said Maria.

"Only thing I could come up with," said Ritchie. "Besides, sexuality's easy to understand. Gender's very complex and requires a lot of research into the topic just get an understanding!"

"At least you admit it," said Maria.

"CEASE WORRYING ABOUT WHAT GENDER I IDENTIFY AS AND PREPARE TO DIE!" Tirna roared.

"You heard the… You know what? Forget it!  _ALLONS-Y_!" Sean ordered.

The Rangers bore down on the monster, brandishing their weapons and baring their teeth under their helmets. But the experience they gained from fighting for over a year also showed. It was almost the one-year anniversary of the day the four longest-serving members first met on the steps of a hotel in Tokyo. Of course, that anniversary wasn't for another month, and they weren't thinking about that right now.

The Rangers got right to work, surrounding the monster and attacking him from their position. Ritchie went right for Tirna. The Zordonian general didn't have enough time to stop the Oneida Rocket. They gasped at the blow from Ritchie's hips and shoulders and the ground. The General kicked at Ritchie's groin, making the Gold Ranger double over to protect his happy spot. But Tirna's missed—on purpose. Ritchie looked up to find the general scurrying away. He gave chase.

Tirna teleported away by the time Ritchie got to them. The Oneida Rocket was frustrated for a moment, but turned his attention back to the monster, grumbling something about Tirna being a coward or something.

They unloaded on the monster. They ran circles around it. Although it also landed some blows on them, most notably knocking Arquen aside, but it was too little, too late for the monster.

"SUPERCHARGE!" Sean ordered. The Rangers produced their AcceleKeys and activated the Supercharged mode. The monster, despite being beaten, taunted the Rangers.

"Give it your best shot!" he called. "I am prepared to die for the elven race!"

"Then let's oblige him!" Sean replied. "FIRE!" The Rangers unleashed their attacks on the monster. It fell to the ground and exploded in a shower of sparks.

:-:-:-: Power Rangers GPX :-:-:-:

Upon their arrival at the Military headquarters in Alfheim, Tirna was suddenly confronted by a very cross Ingvar. Tirna glanced at the teleportation engineer, but he only shrugged. The Zordonian general turned back to Ingvar. "You were supposed to stay until the end," he said. "EXPLAIN!"

"I thought it was better to cut my losses and escape," said the Zoicite look-a-like.

Ingvar laughed derisively. "HA! A likely story!" he snapped his fingers. Two armored soldiers, wearing black and wearing helmets that resembled the helmets of Imperial Navy Troopers in  _Star Wars_.

But then, someone rushed into the teleportation room. Ingvar stopped his black-clad soldiers and waited until the soldier, wearing the same uniform they were, finished whispering. It didn't look good for them, but it must have been good for Tirna, judging by the Zordonian's grin. Once the General dismissed the soldier, they turned to Ragnar. "I have just been informed that we have found what we are looking for," said Tirna. "I must speak with Commander Ragnar."

"Commander Ragnar is at 'Parliament', delivering a speech," said Ingvar. "But, if you want to listen," he turned to his guards. They ushered Tirna out of the room.

They took Tirna to another room filled with elven military officers. They were watching Ragnar deliver a passionate speech to Parliament.

"…  _We understand that this battle, which will decide the fate of our kind and planet, will be a long one. But know this, my Elven brothers; it is a righteous cause, proclaimed by God against the non-believers. I urge you, my fellow elves, to commit yourselves to this highest of high crusades, wherein we shall one day, see the end of the horrid species known as humanity!_ " Parliament applauded.

" _We did not choose this battle! It was forced upon us by man's aggression! They pollute the Earth, our home, that God gave us, and kill each other with impunity! These crimes have shown, over the course, of millennia, that humanity is a cancer, a disease, a curse upon our world_!

" _But you already know this. I hate to remind you of the reasons for our Holy War. But the humans, and the human elite, must be taught a lesson with their BLOOD!_

" _Symbolic of this, are the Power Rangers—six humans, and one traitorous elf—stand against the truth and continue to delay the inevitable! Pity them if you want, for they are ignorant of their species' sins. They too, are puppets of the humans' elites, the Miyazawa family! Their ideologies stand against everything that makes the elven kingdom great! Two of them have betrayed God; one rejects what we all know, that God exists, and another has committed the sin of homosexuality—with an ELF!_ "

Parliament booed. Ragnar held his hands up and they quieted. " _In that elf-girl's defense, she was raised outside of Alfheim and away from her fellow elves. She is naïve. But she and other elves who live among humans must make a choice: either join us, in our holy crusade, or perish with the humans! And let this be a warning to those who question us here at home: Do not question the Will of God! And have faith in our crusade!_

" _I ask that all elves, either living among elves or humans, join this crusade. We ARE the superior species, we HAVE the superior technology, and we have the SUPERIOR WILL POWER to WIPE the humans off the face of our green Earth! Our strength is in our numbers! We are almost there! In just enough time, victory SHALL BE OURS! Hail the Elves, and HAIL ALFHEIM!_ "

Tirna snorted. "Spirited," they said.

A staffer walked up behind them. "Floki wants to go out," he said.

"Then let him off his leash," said Tirna.

:-:-:-: PRGPX :-:-:-:

"What a load of bullshit," Sean said as he took a swig of Muscle Milk, swinging a towel around his neck and wiping the sweat off his skin. He and Maria had just finished showering (together) a workout in the Rangers' weight room and got back to the TV room to find Liz and Arquen watching a translated version of Ragnar's speech. "I mean, he's said this shit already, he doesn't have to repeat himself."

"He's going for the propaganda route, like any dictator," said Maria.

"Ah," Sean snapped his fingers. "Good ol' fashioned propaganda!"

"He could be losing support among the public," said Arquen. "Either that, or he wants to let them know not to question it at all. I believe it is the latter, since he said it himself, although it is possible it is a mixture of both."

"Yeah, and how do we know?" Sean asked.

His phone began to ring. To his surprise, it was FaceTime. He answered and saw himself staring face-to-face with Tiris. "Well, if this isn't the biggest plot contrivance in Power Rangers history, then at least we have some competition," he said.

Arquen rushed to Sean's side to try and get a view, much to the Red Ranger's chagrin. "What is it?" he asked.

" _I assume you saw Ragnar's speech?_ " Tiris asked.

"PBS does a good job hiring nerds," said Sean.

" _You do not want to know what comes next,_ " Tiris said as if he was ignoring Sean. " _Rumor around the office is that Tirna has found something big. Unfortunately, it is highly classified, top-secret material. I doubt I, a lowly colonel, will be able to get information._ "

"Send Fox Mulder on that case," said Maria.

" _There is even rumors of something else_ ," said Tiris. " _Again, it is top-secret._ "

"So were SWORD's transgressions," said Sean.

" _I already said I am not that high up in the chain of command,_ " said Tiris. " _Even the Resistance fighters are bothering me about it._ "

Sean blew a raspberry. "Figures."

" _Tell me about it_ ," said Tiris. " _I will see what I can do. Until then, be patient._ " Sean was about to interject when Tiris hung up. No one could hear his subsequent muttering.

Aaron walked in, holding his back, wincing and finally laying down on the floor. "Oh! Your yoga exercises!" Maria chirped, clapping her hands.

"Noooo!" Aaron groaned.

"Okay, that works," said Maria. "Let me get dressed, okay?" She ran off to get dressed.

"What's the matter?" Sean asked.

"My back still hurts!" Aaron groaned. "I had a tough day at physical therapy today."

"Oh, come on!" said Sean. "Are you just making excuses?" He turned Aaron over onto his stomach and pressed on it with his bare foot. Aaron groaned, but not quite loudly. Okay, part of it was because Sean wasn't pressing hard. He was being rough on Aaron, but he wasn't about to risk the longest-serving Green Ranger's health.

"STOP!" Aaron groaned. "Get off my back!"

"Figuratively or literally?" Sean asked.

"LITERALLY!"

"Sean!" Eruvanda called. "Please, get off him."

Sean did. And Aaron sat up. "Do you want to come back to the team?" Sean asked.

"Yes, I do," Aaron said.

"Do you want to stop feeling sorry for yourself?" Sean asked. "Unless you're secretly suffering from Clinical Depression and it might be a good idea to get some help?"

Aaron shook his head. "No," he said. "But what about Arquen?"

"Well, I really like the work he's done," said Sean, turning around to look at the understanding elf. "Been a good Green Ranger. But, since Rob's been so caught up with police work and hasn't fought with us since December, I think he's done being a Power Ranger. Adulthood sucks."

"What about me?"

"Oh, right, sorry Ndebele," said Sean. "Oh, and sorry for stepping on your back, it was wrong of me."

"… Thanks," Aaron said after a short pause.

Sean's morpher beeped momentarily, making him turn away to answer it. "Yeah?" he asked. "… Uh, what? … Indus River Valley? Fuck."

"What?" Liz asked.

"Some big dig's going on in the Indus River Valley," said Sean. "Unless you stole another teleportation thingie, we're not got any time soon."

"No," said Liz.

"Bah," Sean snorted. "I guess it's likelier than Bridge finally stopping blaming herself for mom and dad's divorce."

"That is… sad," said Liz.

"Sean?" Aaron called from the floor. The young man in question turned back around to see Aaron struggling to sit up. "I wish I hadn't quit being a Power Ranger."

There was a moment's silence where Sean collected his thoughts until he said, "I wish you hadn't either." He took that as Aaron's own way of saying that he had internally made the determination to get better and back into the Green Ranger suit.

He turned back around to walk away. Maria walked up to him, he took her by the hand, spun her like a dance partner and kissed her cheek.

"Get a room!" Liz called.

This prompted Sean to turn around. It's normally not important, but it should be noted that Sean and Liz's eyes met, only because they're both at the exact same height. Elves are indeed taller than humans on average (Gina's also taller than Hitomi). There are elves shorter than humans, of course.

With that divergence out of the way, Sean shrugged and walked off.

:-:-:-: Power Rangers GPX :-:-:-:

Needless to say, Ragnar wasn't happy with how Tirna fled from the battle with the Rangers to let the monster die on its own. Those antics made him glare at the agender Zordonian with such contempt, Tirna visibly shrank from his gaze. He was also so mad, that the question was asked and answered without a single word. Just Ragnar looking up from his desk with a killer state and Tirna's gulp. "I expected better of you," he said.

"I need you to do something for me," he said. "There is a building in the Rangers' city containing physical copies of the schematics and plans of their weapons. I want you to raid it."

"Why can't you find them online?" Tirna asked.

"They are too well encrypted," said Ragnar. "If we have to attack their command center in Madison, so be it."

"Isn't that taunting the Rangers?"

"Have you not been paying attention?" Ragnar asked. "Every other battle has been a challenge to their feeble attempts to stop our crusade."

"And why now?"

"Better late than never," he said. "And I do not want you running until the mission is complete, or else my Suitroops will have a new target practice dummy."

"How can I do this on such short notice?"

"That excuse has never been a hindrance before," said Ragnar. "Take some of the Suitroops and teleport into their command center… NOW!"

Tirna wasted no time leaving Ragnar's office.

:-:-:-: PRGPX :-:-:-:

The UN's Project Ranger Madison command center took up a good part of an entire floor in a downtown Madison building that had a rather nice view of Capitol Square and the State Capitol. Whereas the first base was underneath Tokyo Bay, the second one at a USAF base in Orlando, this one was a little more "out in the open", and in a sense, better camouflaged. No one would suspect an average office building!

It also has some of the best security in the State of Wisconsin outside of any governor's entourage. Not just physical security, but cyber security, especially. The command center is connected to the UN's own internal network, but also has its own for Project Ranger. This particular network had to go through immense trial and error through all the hacks by the Zordonians, elves, foreign and corporate spies, and even the clowns that would become ISIS. Through all this previously-mention trial and error, including the massive SWORD info dump, Project Ranger has the best cyber security in the WORLD.

Unfortunately, that doesn't include physical attacks and teleportation.

The evening staffers were getting close to wrapping up, but the night staffers were just getting started. And they weren't excited. There was some Chinese catering in the break room, which made it easier. The office was split into two sections; one for the administrative side, the other for the surveillance side. The break room was in the middle.

"Just told them about the Indus River thing," one of the staffers, Dylan Jameson said, while stirring his water in the breakroom. "And… that's it."

"Fuck," his coworker hissed. "I can't believe we're paid to watch those bastards."

"What are we, babysitters?"

Unfortunately, neither of them could say anything else.

Due to a combination of factors—they couldn't think of anything else to say—the conversation also ended when a loud alarm blared inside the building. It even disturbed a misfortunate janitor on a lower level who had no knowledge of the command center upstairs.

"Oh god, ANOTHER one!?" Jameson groaned.

"Wait, that's not—" his co-worker only got out before they were floored by a loud "BANG" sound and Suitroops storming into the breakroom.

"FUCK!" Jameson shouted as he made a mad dash for the door. He and his coworker got out just in time, but energy blasts blew up behind them. They finally made it to the actual command center, a room with people sitting at computers watching for alerts. "SOMEONE CONTACT THE RANGERS!" Jameson shouted.

:-:-:-: Power Rangers GPX :-:-:-:

They were just getting down to start making dinner when they got the alert. "Yeah?" Sean asked.

" _WE HAVE AN EMERGENCY!_ " the guy on the other end shouted. " _WE'RE UNDER ATTACK!"_

"Wait, hold up!" Sean said. "What's going on!?"

" _JUST GET THE FUCK OVER TO 1 S PINCKNEY ST_!"

"Huh?"

" _YOUR FUCKING COMMAND CENTER'S THERE!_ "

"THEN WHY DIDN'T YOU FUCKING TELL US!?"

" _JUST HELP US!"_ An explosion cut the transmission.

"You heard the guy, MOVE IT!" Sean ordered, and the other Rangers followed.

"Hey," Aaron said as he crept up behind Sean. "Can I come along?"

"Sure, but stay out of the way," said Sean. "We don't want you aggravating that back."

"Absolutely," Aaron said.

"Get Rob on the horn, he's off today!" said Sean. "Now let's MOVE!"

:-:-:-: Power Rangers GPX :-:-:-:

They got there five minutes later. They hopped out of their Indys—Aaron was left behind so Rob could pick him up—and ran inside the mostly-glass modern building. Security didn't even bother stopping them, and for good reason.

One short elevator ride later, they were on the same floor as the command center. They were met by a squad of Suitroops that were waiting for them. They were unhappy about it, but they got right to it. The first Suitroops attacked Arquen right on the spot. Arquen wound his fist up, but an energy blast struck. He flew backwards until Ritchie and Kevin caught him. In the middle of all this, Maria rushed forward and smashed the Suitroop's head with a powerful right hook.

"LET'S GO!" Sean shouted with a pointing finger and a punch.

Tirna heard the commotion from the outside in the main office—not the actual command center. A Suitroop was at one of the computers, searching through records while the poor sap who was originally at the desk was tied up next to a water cooler. "Damn," the general hissed. "Hurry up!" The Suitroop made a sound in acknowledgment as they heard a smash outside the door. Tirna desperately looked around for something to get the Rangers off their trail. They noticed a few papers laying around that looked like schematics or something, but that wouldn't help at all.

They had a right to be worried. The Rangers were making quick work of the Suitroops in the hallway. The tight spaces in the halls were no big deal. All they had to do was dispose of their weapons. Sean and Maria were punching and kicking Suitroops left and right. One kick from Maria even knocked one of the Suitroops' head off and it flew out the window. That's not to say it wasn't easy, but it was something.

In the meantime, Arquen and Ritchie were running for the actual command center room. Arquen thrust his sword with the skill and precision his already-potent abilities and years of experience through the chests of the Suitroops. Ritchie jumped and tumbled over the Suitroops that Arquen had already taken down to get to the Suitroops still fighting. He grabbed one and defenestrated it with ease.

Hitomi may have been (kinda) late, but she made her presence known and felt instantly. She flipped over some Suitroops, leaving them stunned for Kevin to smash them to pieces. Then he grabbed a couple of them and also defenestrated them. They made their way down another corridor. A Suitroop ran up them and both of them punched the first Suitroop that got to them into the other group of Suitroops.

"So, how did Daisuke react to you and Gina?" Kevin asked while twisting a Suitroop's dead off.

"Not very well," she said while fighting off another. "He got mad. I don't care."

"Good," said Kevin. "He can't control who you are or who you love."

"I know," she said.

Sean and Maria met up with Arquen and Ritchie outside the actual command center. Arquen and Ritchie volunteered to go to the main office to rescue the staff. Sean and Maria would raid the actual command room. Then they split up.

Sean and Maria found there to be little resistance in the command center, but only numerically. The moment they opened the door, an energy blast flew right past them, forcing them to close it.

"Just like when you come," she joked.

"Very funny," he said. "Okay, how does Rob usually do this?"

"Let's both go in," she said, "At the same time."

"Don't we need a flashbang?" Sean asked.

"Oh, right," she said. She pulled one out of her utility belt, opened the door and threw it in. After a couple seconds, there was a loud BANG on the other side of the door. Sean and Maria rushed in, but found the Suitroop resistance to still be tough. But Sean jumped on one of the tables, off of it and punched the first Suitroop he came to. Maria ran up to and kicked her Suitroop before grabbing it and throwing it out the window.

That's three Suitroops defenestrated, for those of you who are keeping score.

Tirna was so busy with the Suitroop at the computer that they forgot about the Rangers. The banging on the door made sure to remind them. "Damn," they said, realizing the jig was probably up.

Then they saw the papers. They had an idea. "YOU! Suitroop! Grab those papers and run out the door! I don't care if they're fake, just take them!"

The Suitroop did as it was ordered, taking the papers and dashed for the door.

Ritchie and Arquen were just about to kick their way in when the Suitroop blasted out of the room. Before they knew it, the Suitroop was running down the hall towards the elevator. They both clamored to their feet to chase the Suitroop. But their efforts were in vain, as the Suitroop was already in the elevator before they could catch it.

Meanwhile, Rob and Aaron had finally arrived. Rob morphed the moment he got inside. The security guys had left the building already. It was no use for two-bit security guards to get in to such a mess, at least that's what they thought.

"Stay here," Rob said.

"Of course," Aaron said as he stayed put while Rob walked away.

Suddenly, a Suitroop ran right towards them. Rob pulled out his Silver Blaster and prepared to shoot. But something went wrong. As the Suitroop raced towards him, he felt his chest get tighter, his breath quicken, his heart pound, he got dizzy, felt hot and sick to his stomach. Aaron couldn't see it, but Rob could not see a Suitroop; it was an insurgent charging right at him, with guns blazing.

He desperately tried to get a hold of himself. But his teetering was making it hard and he finally collapsed to the ground, screaming in fear and agony.

Aaron acted purely on instinct as he jumped up, ran over to Rob and grabbed his blaster. He shot the Suitroop twice until it fell to the ground, throwing sparks around. He then rushed over to Rob's side to desperately try to get him to calm down.

"We're done!" Tirna announced. "Let's go!" Tirna and the Suitroops teleported away.

This surprised the Rangers, but it also relieved them. They proceeded to rescue the employees, who were all grateful, even Jameson, who admitted his mistake.

" _I guess it was only a matter of time,_ " Coll Greene said over the communicator from Arlington. " _We'll have to move operations to a new location. I'm guessing the place is a mess?_ "

"To say the least," said Ritchie.

" _A shame_ ," said Col. Greene. " _I really liked that location._ "

"Ah well," said Sean. He turned off the communicator and switched to Rob. "I wonder where Rob is. Yo Rob, where are you?"

" _Sean_!" Aaron's voice shouted.

"Ndebele? What—" underneath his helmet, his eyes widened in horror. "Oh, no!"

Thankfully for him, the elevator door opened to reveal Aaron carrying Rob as best he could, while straining at the pain in his back. Rob's helmet had been removed, showing his face to be pale and covered in sweat. None of the Rangers spoke, but Sean ran over to his brother-in-law to grab him and lay him against the wall. "He had a PTSD attack right when the Suitroop ran at him," said Aaron. "I shot it. It was carrying some blank papers."

Sean ignored that part of Aaron's story, but Arquen and Ritchie groaned. "Is he alright?" He asked.

"Now he is," said Aaron. "I had to calm him down."

"Sean, I'm really sorry," Rob wheezed. "I tried to be strong."

"Do not be sorry, soldier,"Arquen said while placing his hand on Rob's shoulder. Rob didn't answer, at least not verbally.

"You know, I have a really bad feeling about this," said Kevin, "About the attack. They were up to something, I just know it."

"Too bad nobody knows," said Sean. "By the way, if you did what I think you did, then you did a hell of a job, Ndebele. Looks like you'll be back in no time." Aaron smiled and turned away in sheepishness.

:-:-:-: PRGPX :-:-:-:

"Congratulations, Tirna! This is just the information we need!"

"Thanks, Commander!" Tirna replied. "And what did you think of my strategy?"

"I suppose I will have to reconsider calling you a coward," said Ragnar. "You are dismissed for now." Tirna saluted and left.

After the gender general left, Ragnar turned towards the door that lead to the balcony outside, the night air was cool and he felt the goosebumps on his skin as a cold breeze blew right through him. When he got to the end of the balcony, he looked up wistfully at the stars. "Those Power Rangers… Forgive them, Lord God, for they know not what they do," he said. "I have served you, Lord, for my entire life, and now I must beseech you one last time. You and I know you created us elves and humans. But they are blinded by Morgoth, Lord. I have done my best to undo the Deceiver's damage. They harm Mother Earth, Lord. I will make sure your divine judgement befalls them.

"But, these Power Rangers, they follow his path. With God as my witness, I shall never rest or yield until they are cast into the fiery pit of Morgoth's prison! But…" As he knelt down, his expression changed. His usual stone-faced visage got softer. And when he looked up, he looked uncertain. "Can I do this, Lord? Will I be able to defeat them? No! I must not question Your will!" Steel determination appeared on his face. "I WILL carry out your will, God! I offer this prayer: give me the strength to defeat your enemies! I will bring order to this world, so say we all!"

"Commander?" The interruption made him swivel around and almost lose his balance. But as he stared at , he recompose do himself. "My apologies, Commander.

"There is no need for apologies, Colonel," said Ragnar. "I have new orders. General Torna has given us the blueprint we need to finally defeat the Power Rangers. I want our top research and development teams working on it! Have Suitroops work on everything 24/7 and flesh laborers assisting them. Give those laborers 12-hour shifts. We have a tight deadline, but fatigue and exhaustion lead to poor work. Whatever it takes, we WILL have Operation Ragnarok completed by Elrond's Day!"

:-:-:-: Power Rangers GPX :-:-:-:

Kevin VO: "Next time on  _Power Rangers GPX Supercharged!_ "

Sean: "Seriously, how long has it been?"

Ragnar: "It needs a field test."

Operator: "We have an emergency!"

Wisconsin elf: "We can get you there as soon as possible!"

Elf: "Surrender this instant!"

Sean: "We're Power Rangers!

Elf: "Then, DIE!"

Kevin VO: "That's next time on Power Rangers GPX Supercharged!

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone, how are you? I know this took a while, but I've been really busy with work and other projects. But, like any author, I have to get back to the one I've been working on the most, and GPX has been eating at me for a while. And I know this one was a little long, but that's what happens when Plot happens. Oh, and Tirna's not bad because they're agender, they're bad because they're bad. I really don't want to bring up unfortunate implications about Tirna's gender identity, but I couldn't think of a gender to give Tirna so I just went "fuck it" and decided they'd just identify as such. I apologize to the agender community for any perceived offense.
> 
> This was also supposed to be JUST an Aaron-centric episode, but I had trouble figuring out what to do with it and found myself in the same rut with other episodes. However, for Aaron, I drew on some of my own experience after getting hit by a car, where I suffered a torn MCL. The physical therapy process was frustrating at times, because it felt like my knee wouldn't get any better. However, as you can see, I fixed that. And you know what that means, right?
> 
> Supercharged, Part 2 is almost over!
> 
> Well, not quite, but it's getting there! The endgame rink is ready, the teams are lined up at the center dot and the ref is about to drop the puck!
> 
> So tell me what you think! The review button's right down there!


	23. The Battle of Milwaukee, Part 1

Arquen: “Previously, on _Power Rangers GPX Supercharged_!”

Ritchie: "IT'S BEEN ALMOST FIVE MONTHS AND MY BACK IS STILL KILLING ME!"

Trainer: “Physical therapy is neither quick, nor easy. You gotta work on it, buddy."

Ingvar: ( _To Tirna_ ) “You were supposed to stay until the end. EXPLAIN!”

Tiris: “Rumor around the office is that Tirna has found something big.

Ritchie: “I wish I hadn't quit being a Power Ranger."

Ragnar: “There is a building in the Rangers' city containing physical and digital copies of the schematics and plans of their weapons. I want you to raid it."

( _The Rangers storm the building Tirna attacks. However, a Suitroop causes Rob to suffer a panic attack. Ritchie saves him. Tirna eventually gets away with the information_ )

Sean: “You did a hell of a job, Ndebele.”

Ragnar: “We WILL have Operation Ragnarok completed by Elrond's Day!"

Power Rangers GPX Supercharged, episode 46: Battle of Milwaukee, Part 1

:-:-:-: We’re the best damn chance you’ve got, Power Rangers G-P-X, let’s go! :-:-:-:

Almost a month had gone by since another Elven attack.

The raid on the Project Ranger command center happened on March 29th. It was now April 23rd, a Saturday. The Rangers had been on their toes, waiting for an attack for three weeks.

A few things had developed since then. For starters, Hitomi and Gina started getting serious about their relationship. It’s easy to assume this is a short fling between a college freshman and high school senior. But, Hitomi was the first person Gina notified, other than her parents, that she had gotten into UW. There’s more to it, of course, and it’s because a relationship is a constant work in progress.

“Listen, Hitomi,” Gina said one day, sitting on her bed, staring into Hitomi’s eyes and holding her hand, “I don’t want this to just be a ‘look, humans and elves can get along’ thing. I love you. And I want to make this work. Also, I think I’m a lesbian.”

“Okay,” Hitomi replied. “I want this to work, too. Wait, lesbian?”

“I’ve never really been attracted to guys,” Gina replied. “Whatever. But we agree; we need to take this seriously?”

“Absolutely.”

As for the other Rangers, they took the time to catch up on their studying and register for summer school. Even Sean. They signed up for the 8-week session, which would begin on June 13, 2011.

But in the near-term, they had the end of the semester closing in and Finals Week not long after. The Rangers had started to double-down on their studying in the month that preceded, something Arquen and Liz noticed easily. Not only had things gotten quitter outside, but inside, too. Liz once walked in on Sean reading an ethnography and a journalism book at the same time. Wait, how could he do that!? He quickly noticed her, which made her duck out of sight behind the doorframe.

That was nothing compared to Kevin. He was apparently spending most of his waking free hours working on his course and coursework. His room, covered in rugby banners, was a mess with papers and papers he graded. This time, the other Rangers happened to walk past his room when they saw what was up. What first happened, was Ritchie had a quick glance at the room, but he stopped in his tracks to catch a glimpse of the mess. He was unfazed at first, but his eyes slowly widened at he caught the mess. “Looks like a Rez house,” he said to himself.

Before long, Kevin looked up to see 4 humans and two elves staring at him. “Sod off!” he said, making the other Rangers disperse.

But it was still rather tough for all of them. That Friday, Maria walked out of the famous red doors of the Education School building wiping her brow off and reading some of Rusco’s course material. Not even the shining sun and relatively warm weather helped. So she paid no attention to the kids on Bascom Hill basking in the warm, high-50s temps and sun, getting the opportunity to enjoy some real warm-weather days for this part of the American Midwest. Even Sean and Jimmy were enjoying themselves, playing catch with AJ in the middle.

But she was so focused on the paperwork that Rusco and Dean Underwood had given her that she didn’t pay attention to Jimmy overthrowing the baseball right to her, and Sean running to catch it. “HEADS UP!!!”

She did hear that. She looked up in time to drop the papers and catch the ball like an experienced player. However, she didn’t pay attention to Sean running up to her and almost tackling her into a big hug. She shrieked when he lifted her up while laughing like an utter goofball/dork until he lowered her, dipped her and passionately kissed her. While her questions didn’t go away, she kissed back just as passionately until she heard Jimmy laughing.

“What was that about?” she asked when Sean broke the kiss.

“I can’t show my girlfriend how much I love her?” he asked with a dorky smile.

“You dork,” she said. “No, really, what’s going on?” She glanced over at the open journalism book that Sean must have been reading. “Finals?”

“I fucking hate finals,” he said. “Kevin’s been helping me with my writing. And I heard kissing is a good stress reliever, so…”

“Well you relieved _my_ stress,” she said.

“What’s wrong?” he asked out of genuine concern.

“Rusco—I mean, Professor Fox—told me that in order to teach in the field I want, I have to take an Individual Major. Problem is, I don’t know what to teach! I don’t know if I should teach English or Language Arts to bilingual kids, Spanish to suburban white kids or cultural studies! _AY DIOS MIO_ this makes my head hurt!”

“How can I help?” Sean asked.

“For now, you can just hug me,” she said. So he obliged.

“End-of-year finals at NIU weren’t this bad,” said Sean. “I mean, last year, I was getting ready for the Japan trip, and—oh my god, that was last year! Seriously, how long has it been?”

“Since what? Since Ragnar’s goons attacked?” Jimmy asked.

“That too,” said Sean.

“No wonder we’re so fucked,” said Maria.

“Cannot argue with that,” said Sean.

“Wait, wait, I almost forgot—” Jimmy said. “I think Hitomi’s ex-boyfriend tried to call me saying he had something?”

“What’s his name?” Maria asked.

“I forgot,” Sean replied.

“WAIT! WAIT! What am I supposed to do!?” Jimmy asked.

“Didn’t his family make our morphers?” Maria asked.

“I dunno!” said Sean. “Let’s just worry about our academic situation for now. At least Ndebele and Rich Boy are doing fine.”

:-:-:-: PRGPX :-:-:-:

“The _reason_ we have not launched an attack since March is because we have diverted all of our resources to completing the project,” Ragnar explained to King Eärello in the throne room. “I understand you are determined to bring back your cousin in order to solidify your hold on the Throne, but that has had to be delayed, as well.”

“Then what is the point!?” Eärello asked. “If we cannot capture my cousin—”

“Your Majesty,” Ragnar politely interrupted, “The weapons we have developed will destroy both the humans AND Eruvanda. And from what we understand, the student traitors do not trust the Queen. Now if you will excuse me, I must continue to explain WHAT the project is. So please, Your Majesty, I respectfully ask that you not interrupt my presentation again.”

“I will allow it,” Eärello sighed while leaning back on the throne.

“The Power Rangers gain their powers from a bio-electric energy grid that covers the entire planet,” said Ragnar. “The human scientists that discovered it used it to give the Rangers their power. And as we have discovered, this ‘Morphing Grid’ has been used in the past—during Elrond’s war with the Zordonians.”

“A ‘morphing grid’?” Eärello asked incredulously.

“That is the term the television series that the Rangers themselves are named after,” said Ragnar. “We have tapped into that power. And now we finally have weapons that can match the Rangers round-for-round.”

“Really?” Eärello asked.

“We also have a weapon from the Days of Elrond,” said Ragnar, “One that could wipe human civilization from the face of the Earth!”

“What is it?” Eärello asked.

“It must remain secret until revealed,” said Ragnar. “We have already prepared an attack using these weapons in the human city of Milwaukee.”

“Will it kill the Power Rangers?”

“If God is willing and allows it, yes,” said Ragnar. “However, Operation Ragnarok is ready. But it needs a field test at the very least.”

“Then what are you waiting for!?”

Ingvar turned and smirked at his Commander. The Commander replied with his own. The officers bowed and were excused from the throne room.

Phaedos, Túrelie, Tirna and Floki were waiting outside. All four saluted at the sight of both commanders. “I leave this to you, Ingvar,” said Ragnar. “I still have work to do.”

“Yes, sir,” said Ingvar. “Are your forces ready?”

“Of course, Field Marshal Ingvar,” said Túrelie.

“The attack will take place in the business district of Milwaukee, tomorrow at noon Central Standard Time,” Ingvar continued. “The Suitroops will have the attack plan downloaded into their systems. I want your regular soldiers filled in on the plan TONIGHT.”

“Yes, Field Marshal,” said Túrelie. She saluted as Ingvar departed.

She began to depart too, when Phaedos grabbed her hand to stop her. “How about a kiss for luck?”

“That was ONE TIME,” she huffed. She tried to pull her hand away. He didn’t let go.

“I could die in battle,” he said. “Can I at least have one kiss?”

“You are revolting,” she said. She lost control, grabbed his uniform collar and passionately kissed him.

:-:-:-: Power Rangers GPX :-:-:-:

The day in question started as any regular day. As they always do. Maybe aside from Sean and Maria singing “That 70’s Show” theme in the shower, it started as an average Saturday. Even Hitomi came by. However, there was a different reason.

“ _Jeee_ -sus FUCK!” Sean said as he looked at the exam scored 100 that Hitomi handed to him, with the woman in question smirking off to the side. “I don’t know if I could even _pass_ Business 120, and she’s acing it!” He reached down to pet AJ.

“So much for the ‘buying’ your way in bullshit, _chica_ ,” Maria said while fist-bumping Hitomi. However, she didn’t look as happy as she should have. “What’s wrong?”

“I’m doing poorly in Math class,” she said. “And Kevin won’t tell me how I’m doing in English 100.”

“That’s confidential information,” he said while reading a student’s essay and sipping some Earl Gray.

“Math class is required, isn’t it?” Sean cringed with Hitomi. “Well, good thing you’re registered for summer school.”

“I’m gonna have to join you guys,” Ritchie said when he entered the kitchen. “I WAS hoping to intern somewhere back home, but my academic advisor told me I didn’t have enough credits to graduate on schedule!”

“Neither do I,” said Sean. “We’re fucked!”

Liz was not paying much attention to the conversation, as she was out of the room. But, she walked in to grab some milk just in time to hear the part of it that mattered and quipped, “And I thought being Queen was difficult.”

“Easy for you to say,” Sean replied. “Just wait until you stick around for summer school. I guarantee it’s gonna be hell.”

What should have been a rather innocent joke by Sean’s standards turned into something else when Liz slammed the fridge door and turned to the five humans seated at the kitchen island. “Liz?” Ritchie asked.

“I have been talking with Arquen and Tiris all morning,” she said.

“This is bad news,” Ritchie quipped.

“Ragnar has not attacked you in weeks because he has diverted the military’s resources into preparing what he calls ‘Operation Ragnarok.”

Kevin slapped the newspaper down on the table to look at her, his eyes subtly widened.

“It is certainly important for you to be concerned about your studies, you may have worse to worry about. In fact, I may not be able to stay very longer because of this.”

“Huh?” Sean gulped.

“Kevin, you seem to know what Ragnarok is,” said Liz.

“Of course,” said Kevin. “In Norse mythology, it’s the event that results in the end of the world.”

“I thought that sounded familiar,” said Ritchie.

“Lemme guess, he wants to destroy human civilization,” Sean said sardonically. “What’s he gonna do, nuke us?”

“Ragnar wants to make the world safe for elves,” said Liz. “Do you remember the bomb he threatened to use on Christmas Eve?”

“The one that made nukes look like conventional weapons?” Ritchie asked.

“There is no chance he will use this,” she said. “Tiris has not confirmed much, as he is still left out of the loop. But, to say the least, every human army could be overwhelmed.” She crossed her arms to walk up to the scared and silent Power Rangers. “And he intends to unleash this on Elrond’s Day. The only way to stop this may be to go into Alfheim and defeat him there.”

“Now we’re REALLY fucked,” said Ritchie.

:-:-:-: PRGPX :-:-:-:

The parade grounds on the outskirts of Alfheim City were filled with hundreds of Suitroops and elven soldiers, all standing in formation, facing a large stage whereupon Ragnar stood at the front, ready to speak to them. A red banner was unfurled behind him, displaying the symbol of the elven people in black, flanked by subordinates dressed in uniforms almost identical to the ones worn by Imperial officers in the _Star Wars_ movies. Ragnar’s was pitch black, and topped by a peaked cap.

“He will be using this speech to the people?” Tiris asked as he leaned into Ingvar.

“Of course,” said Ingvar. “He knows the importance of good words. Now be quiet, he is speaking!”

“Today is the beginning of the end of humanity,” he spoke. “The end of a disorderly species that destroys our world. At this very moment in a city far from here, human elites _lie_ to their people and to us, while polluting and ravaging our fair Earth. This Operation, this Holy Crusade, that you will be a part of, and weapon that you built, will bring an end to the blight of humanity. All remaining humans will _BOW_ before our might and will remember this as the LAST! DAY! OF HUMAN **_DOMINANCE_**!

“WE BEGIN BY ATTACKING THE CITY OF MILWAUKEE!!!! _AIYA_ ALFHEIM!”

“ _AIYA ALFHEIM! AIYA ALFHEIM! AIYA ALFHEIM!_ ”

Hundreds of Suitroops and soldiers disappeared in a flash of light, teleporting to the city in question.

:-:-:-: Power Rangers GPX :-:-:-:

It was a Saturday, so obviously Milwaukee’s streets were filled with people. While nowhere near the size, nor importance of its Midwestern sister cities Chicago and Detroit, it is still the heart and soul of the State of Wisconsin. And a rather underrated place to go for a day trip, although the usual problems of urban blight effect the city just like in Chicago and Detroit. However, downtown was packed, since it’s a warm, spring day, and that is obviously a recipe for a bad day.

The assault began with Suitroops teleporting onto several streets in the downtown area. Downtown Milwaukee is rather small, unlike downtown Chicago or Midtown Manhattan. They stretched east-to-west from North 6th Street to North Milwaukee and north-to-south from West Clybourn to West Wisconsin Avenue.

The stunned and confused pedestrians were, well, stunned and confused for a few seconds before the Suitroops attacked.

:-:-:-: PRPGX :-:-:-:

The rhythmic beeping in the _Power Rangers_ theme melody, coming from their morphers, interrupted the Rangers’ conversation. “Go ahead,” said Sean.

“ _Rangers, we have an emergency!_ ” the operator cried from the other end.

“You guys found another base?” Sean asked.

“ _WERE YOU PAYING ATTENTION!? A brigade-sized force of Suitroops is attacking downtown Milwaukee! Get over there as soon as possible!_ ”

“ARE YOU KIDDING ME!?” Sean shouted. “THAT’S AN HOUR BY CAR! DO YOU HAVE A PLANE OR SOMETHING!?”

“Is this the part where some ass pull happens?” Ritchie asked.

Right on cue, a flash of light appeared in the Rangers’ living room. Sean glanced at Ritchie for a second, but ran out to find a Legolas cosplayer standing in said living room. Before Sean could speak, the elf spoke in the familiar Gaelic-like elvish dialect. That prompted Kevin to nudge through the crowd into the living room. He spoke in Gaelic with the elf for a second and then turned to the other Rangers. “He says ‘We can get you there as soon as possible’!"

“… Excuse me?” Sean asked.

“He says they know about the attack, because they heard about it too, and they are offering to teleport us there!”

Sean opened his mouth. Nothing came out at first. “… You’re joking, right?”

The elf’s response was so obvious they could tell from his body language and vocal tone. Kevin didn’t even bother to translate.

“Out of all the thing we’ve dealt with, THAT’S what you’re skeptical of!?” Ritchie asked.

“You are wasting time! Get moving!” Liz shouted.

The Wisconsin elf may not have understood her, but he got the point. He grabbed the other Rangers and pulled them over to him. “Wait! We’re teleporting!?” Sean gasped “Butwhatifweendlikefreaksofnatureorwe’renotthesamepeople—” the elf and the Rangers disappeared.

:-:-:-: Power Rangers GPX :-:-:-:

“… Ormaybewe’rejustindifferentpeopleand—” Sean first noticed something was up when he felt a breeze. Next, came the realization that he was outside. The other Rangers noticed that quickly. They also noticed the small band of Wisconsin elves standing around them. And they were still in their socks, aside from the amazingly-prepared Aruqen.

The Wisconsin elves promptly handed their shoes and some of their clothes—including Sean’s leather Ramones jacket—to them. Their leader pointed to the east, at the explosions and screams coming from that direction. The leader spoke again. “He says they’ll help us with the counterattack,” said Kevin. Sean turned to the east again. He licked his lips when he saw the bridge down the street.

“Alright, here’s the plan,” he said. “We’ll try and go for the sneak attack. We’ll take out the Suitroops on the bridges. Have the elves hold them. That should keep the enemy stuck between the river and the lake, cutting off their escape route. Got it?”

The Rangers all nodded. The elves nodded after Kevin translated. “Alright. _Allons-y!_ ”

The attack itself didn’t last long. There were too many Suitroops and elven troops for the cops to even take care of. Say what you will about police militarization, but they didn’t stand a chance. People were herded into the buildings without a fight, and City Hall was taken with no fight at all. Mayor Barrett was at home, but it didn’t matter anyway.

Túrelie, Phaedos, Tirna and Floki set up a temporary field command center in City Hall. They poured over maps of the city, mainly focusing on the downtown area. They had established a foothold in the city. “And now comes the inevitable wait for the Power Rangers counterattack,” said Túrelie. “Col. Tiris!”

“Yes, General Túrelie!”

“Be on the lookout for the Power Rangers. They should arrive soon.”

“Yes, General Túrelie!”

“And do not hesitate to kill Arquen if you encounter him.”

“Understood,” he said with a salute before leaving. He cursed under his breath. This would make sabotaging the operation even harder than it already was.

The Wisconsin Avenue Bridge fell with no resistance. The Suitroops posted there were dumped off the side into the Milwaukee River by the still-unmorphed Power Rangers. The Suitroops were caught off guard, but tried to warn their commanders. However, the Rangers took them out and tossed them aside. Some did try to communicate in their own language to warn others they were taken out. When he kicked the last Suitroop off the bridge, Sean looked to the north and south to see other bridges fall.

“So far, so good,” he said. He waited for the elves to get back to the bridge. “They probably know we’re coming, but who gives a shit? Alright, let’s see if we can—”

“THERE THEY ARE!!!” They turned around. An elven commander spotted them and ran towards them. “Surrender this instant!”

“There goes the surprise attack,” said Kevin.

“Of course they knew we were coming,” said Sean. He unrolled his sleeve to show off the AcceleMorpher. The others followed suit. “READY!?”

“ _READY!”_

 _“GPX! START IT UP!!!_ ” The Rangers morphed. They let out a loud and mighty ‘ _KIAI_ ’ as the Suitroops ran towards them.

“DEFEND THE BRIDGE FIRST!!!” Sean ordered. “ _FAUGH AN BALLAGH!!!_ ” He drew the Octane Blaster. The others followed suit. The elven commanding officer, who looked greener than fresh broccoli, led his Suitroops in a ridiculous charge that let the Rangers stay in front of the bridge until they met.

The elven officer swung his sword at Sean, but he swatted his attack away with the GP Sword. He wound his leg up and reverse roundhouse kicked the officer in the back of the head, knocking him out. The next Suitroop ran up to him. He kicked at the same time the Suitroop did. He kicked again with the opposite foot, jumped in the air, spun and knocked the Suitroop into the river. He waited until another Suitroop ran up to him before punching the Suitroop’s visor, practically clotheslining the Suitroop. He kneed the next Suitroop’s midsection and kicked another one behind him.

Kevin darted off to the right, tackling the first Suitroop he came to and tossed it over into the river. He ran over to the eastern Riverwalk to face some more Suitroops. He punched to block a Suitroop’s punch, grabbed the Suitroop and hurled it behind him. He quickly somersaulted over a Suitroop lunging towards the river to let it fall it. He landed to punch another Suitroop’s head, then kicked one off of its feet. He found himself surrounded by more Suitroops, but he just took the blaster and shot the Suitroops surrounding him. With one to go, he ran up and tackled it.

There was nothing to hold Arquen back. He fought faster than all of the other Rangers. He punched five Suitroops out in rapid succession, then jumped, spun, landed, kicked and kicked a Suitroop into the pavement. The Suitroops came after him after that. But he kept moving forward, re-drawing his Octane Blaster, converted it into a GP Sword, and blocked a Suitroop’s sword. He held it in place, pretending it was doing the opposite. When another Suitroop shot the two of them, he turned it at the Suitroop. After the Suitroop erupted in flames, he ran forward and decapitated the attacker.

Maria danced and skipped between Suitroop punches and kicks until she stopped in her tracks. She shuffled her feet and side-kicked another. One kicked at her. She batted it's leg down and elbowed its chin. Moving to the side, she kicked another. It grabbed her leg. But she vaulted off her free foot, flipped backwards, ran forward and slashed it with the GP Saber. For the next one, she re-holstered her Blaster, jumped onto her hands, wrapped her legs around a Suitroop’s neck and threw it into the pavement in a perfectly-executed Frankensteiner wrestling move.

Making her way up north, Hitomi jumped and flipped over the Suitroops she faced. The Suitroops chased after her, but as she was on the Riverwalk, she knocked them all into the Milwaukee. One Suitroop tried to trap her against the railing, but she didn’t fall for it. Instead, she stood against the doors of 100 East Wisconsin Avenue and side-kicked the Suitroop into the river. A Suitroop kicked her arm. Big mistake. She faked a kick, then kicked with the other leg. Next, she held her arms out, grabbed a Suitroop and threw it against the stairway leading back up.

This was almost personal for Ritchie; it was why he fought harder than all of the others, or at least he felt he did, he ducked under a Suitroop’s punch, he got back up and kicked it. The next series—punch, kick, punch, punch, kick, kick, came at rapid speed. The Suitroops fell all around him. One Suitroop grabbed him from behind. He pushed himself off of his feet and kicked the Suitroop that tried to attack him. Instead of fighting against the Suitroop behind him, he flipped forward to suplex the robot into the pavement ahead of him. When he got back up, he curb stomped it.

The Rangers regrouped in front of 100 East Wisconsin Avenue. Sirens wailed in the distance. The first responders were already on their way to reinforce the others. Sean was about to ask how they were doing when the communicator’s beeping interrupted him. “Yeah?”

“ _We found where they’re holding the civilian prisoners_ ,” said the operator. “ _There’s at least a couple hundred of them in the buildings surrounding you. Think you can rescue them?_ ”

“We think they don’t know we’re here!” Sean hissed.

 _“We’ve heard some radio chatter, they know you’re here_ ,” the operator replied.

“Of course, they were expecting us,” Kevin hissed.

“We’ll take care of the civilians,” said Sean. “Have the National Guard, if they’re coming, set up a perimeter. We’ve already captured some bridges. The enemy’s trapped between the lake and the river.”

“ _National Guard is on their way, and we’ll let them know,_ ” said the operator, before he signed off.

“Alright! Here’s how we’ll do it; Kevin! You and Hitomi will team up, take the building directly east of us. Metoxen and Arquen will take the building to the south. Maria and I will take this one right here. Any questions?” Everyone shook their heads. “Alright. LET’S MOVE!”

Things were rather normal in the field command station until several runners rushed in, almost knocking other officers over. They reached the command table in the center of the first floor rather quickly, much to Túrelie’s minor surprise. “What is it?” she asked after looking up from her watch.

“The Power Rangers are here!” said the runner. “They’ve already taken the Wisconsin Avenue Bridge!”

“About time!” said Phaedos.

“Re-direct some of our forces to Wisconsin Avenue,” Túrelie said. “Everything else will hold right where they are.”

“There is a problem, General,” said the other runner. “A force of elves have taken the bridges from Clybourn up to Kilbourn. Our forces are trapped between the lake and the river.”

Túrelie growled. “ELVES!?” She shouted loud enough to echo through the old building and cause the other officers to stop in their place. “Who did this!? What traitors—”

“No,” said the runner. “We have visual of them.” He took out a picture of the elves in question. Túrelie, Tirna and Phaedos all got a look at them. While Tirna and Phaedos weren’t as shocked, Túrelie’s eyes widened subtly. “They look like wood-elves.”

“Wood-elves?” Túrelie whispered. “So the legends are true… no matter! This changes nothing! Re-take the bridges! The human authorities are already sending in reinforcements. We must prepare for their counterattack.”

It didn’t take long for the Rangers to rescue the civilians in the first nearby buildings. They mainly focused on the lower floors, since the SWAT teams would probably take care of the rest. After taking out the Suitroops in the lobbies, they moved upstairs and finished the jobs. The only difficulty was the people being a little nervous about the Wisconsin elves. Sean had to almost blow his voice out yelling at them before they finally got over their stupid prejudice, at least explicitly, to head west out of danger.

“Now we’re talking,” Sean said as he and Maria patrolled an empty upper floor of 100 E Wisconsin. It was quiet, just the right kind of quiet.

But they didn’t notice the activity happening off to the north of them. Several Suitroops had climbed up to the roof of the adjacent building and aimed a cannon right at the couple. They seemed to fight with each other for a couple moments, which was enough time for Maria to turn in their direction while Sean was busy getting updates from the others. She tapped his shoulder at first, but he didn’t pay attention. “What?” he asked.

It was too late. The Suitroopes fired on them. “GET DOWN!!!!” she shouted right as the energy blast struck the façade and blew a big hole in the side.

“WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT!?” Sean shouted. Another blast answered his question.

Several blasts later and Sean and Maria were forced to run to the south side of the building to jump out onto the street. “EVERYONE REGROUP AT WISCONSIN AND NORTH WATER!” Sean frantically ordered. The others joined him and Maria quickly.

“What happened!?” Arquen asked first.

“They’re mounting a counterattack!” Sean replied. “Kevin, can you ask the Wisconsin elves to prepare for the counterattack?”

“Right away!” Kevin replied. He relayed Sean’s message to the Wisconsin elves.

“City Hall is that way!” Ritchie pointed to the north. “That’s probably where they’re based!”

“This speeds things up. LET’S MOVE!” Sean said. He and the Rangers ran down North Water for a couple hundred feet until they were stopped by oncoming Suitroops. At the same time, the ones on top of the building adjacent to the still-smoking 100 East Wisconsin fired down on the Rangers, making the ground erupt in a ball of flame in front of them.

The dazed Rangers stood up to find themselves surrounded by the Suitroops. “Well, this makes our job easier,” said Arquen.

“Maybe not as bad as Orlando,” said Hitomi.

“Let’s make it not like Orlando,” said Sean. “We’re Power Rangers! We don’t quit, we don’t surrender, and we always win! _FAUGH ON BALLAGH!!!_ ”

Aengus, the leader of the elves from the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest, scowled as he saw the Suitroops coming towards him and his comrades. Humans were still streaming across the bridge, and they were starting to panic now. Perhaps it didn’t help that they didn’t trust them; and he and his comrades had barely done anything to show they had earned humans’ trust. But for now, he had to ignore their distrustful glares and focus on the energy balls laying siege to his comrades.

“SHIELDS UP!” he shouted. “MAKE THE WALL!!!” The Wisconsin elves raised their shields and combined into a wall of shields. The energy blasts crashed into the wall and dissipated. But Aengus licked and bit his lips as some of his comrades seemed to waver. He looked back. Most of the humans had already made it past. But the human authorities had yet to come. 

“Sir? Something wrong?” His lieutenant, Finn, asked.

“As much as I hate the humans’ stares,” Aengus replied, “We have more work to do. STAND UP!” The shield wall stood up. The Suitroops crashed into their bronze-colored shields and were forced back. “FIRST VOLLEY! FIRE!” A volley of their own energy blasts flew past him, destroying the first wave of Suitroops. “FIRE AT WILL!” More energy blasts followed. In the midst of all of this, he drew his sword and raised it above his head. He looked to the north and south to see other commanders doing the same thing on their respective bridges. He took a deep breath. His expression wavered for a second before he said, “WE MAKE OUR STAND RIGHT HERE!!!”

As military and police helicopters flew overhead, the Rangers were pushed back onto Wisconsin Avenue. It was a momentary setback, however, as they fought back even more ferociously.

Sean plowed into the first wave, clotheslining them with extreme prejudice. He jumped up and gave one a jumping reverse roundhouse kick. He got down and then swept them off of their feet. He then run up and jumped off a car, kicking as many of them down as he could. He punched another one and then elbowed the next. He grabbed another by the neck and shoved it into the crowd of Suitroops. He picked another one up and tossed it into the crowd of Suitroops. He let out a mighty roar and went back to fighting.

Kevin barreled into the first wave he faced. He wrapped one up, lifted it up and bowled right into the other Suitroops. When he threw it down he side kicked a Suitroop in the chest and then threw a mighty punch. The Suitroop blocked his punch, but Kevin countered, smashing its head to pieces. He grabbed another one's head, dragged it along and tossed it into a car. Then he jumped up and elbowed another one, reverse roundhouse kicked a lot of them and then finished it off by piledriving one that snuck up on him.

As for Arquen, he'd gone Parkour and intense again, jumping off the sides of the buildings and blocking whatever the Suitroops brought. He spun, punched and elbowed some Suitroops down to the ground. Then he jumped up and vaulted off a car to kick one in the head. He punched another one a couple times and then knocked it down. He ducked as a pair of them rushed in and they smashed into each other. He got back up and noticed he was surrounded by Suitroops. Oh, well. Better get to work!

Maria grabbed the arm of one Suitroop and smashed it off. Then she took the robot and flipped it on its back and smashed it to the ground. She then roundhouse kicked another one and punched it to finish it off. She jumped up and kicked a Suitroop in the face. Said Suitroop crashed into the other robots. She then grabbed another one and started going to town on it. When she was done she tossed it over at the Suitroops. She then side kicked on that had tried to sneak up on her. She wiped her brow and went back to fighting.

Hitomi flipped several times to avoid the Suitroops. She blocked a Suitroop kick with her foot several times and then gave it a reverse roundhouse kick. She then ran up the side of a building and flipped off of it, landing perfectly and kicked the Suitroops into the building. A Suitroop grabbed her from behind and she tried to take it off. Eventually she succeeded and tossed the robot forward. She ran and vaulted off another Suitroop that had fallen over and she jumped up and brought her foot down on them.

Ritchie was surrounded. That simplified his problem. They can't get away from him now! They rushed forward. He grabbed a pair and shoved them into the crowd of Suitroops. One threw a punch. He ducked, got back up, blocked it and countered with a punch to the face. He spun around and kicked another right in the face. Then he got down and swept them all off their feet. One rushed in and when he got back up, he punched it right in the gut. Then he brought it down and smashed its head on his knee.

Soon, Sean and Maria were fighting side-by-side. More and more Suitroops kept coming, but they knocked them all to the side. However, each Suitroop that was taken down was replaced by two more. Sean noticed a Suitroop that had snuck up on Maria and in reflex, he kicked the Suitroop away. But one Suitroop timed its punch right and knocked him to the ground. He got back up just in time to catch Maria and throw her back into the melee. She punched another Suitroop, allowing Sean to summon the GT Sword and cut a wide swath down.

Ritchie flipped Hitomi upwards like you see cheerleaders do. She twisted in the air, called out her attack with the Am Staff and then thrust it into the ground. The Suitroops that had come forward were knocked back by the shock wave. She got up and blocked a Suitroop that was coming in and then tossed to Ritchie, who took a big swing with his axe that cut the Suitroop in half. However, several Suitroops ganged up on Ritchie and knocked him down. Hitomi tried to help, and kept the Suitroops at bay with the best kicks and blocks the Oneida Rocket had seen from her.

At the same time, Arquen and Kevin were kicking ass like you would expect a pair of veterans to do. They pounded away at the Suitroops, working off each other like they were in sync. In a way they were. They held off the Suitroops that were coming, but then sparks erupted from Kevin's suit. A Suitroop had hit him and he fell backwards, crashing into Arquen. The Elven general shoved Kevin off of him, allowing the Irishman to tackle the first Suitroop he came to and smashed it into the pavement.

“Y’know, this IS kinda like Orlando,” Sean remarked. “Except we’re WINNING!” He twirled the GT Sword at the now-scared Suitroops desperately hoping to get an advantage on him.

The reports kept coming in to City Hall, and the conclusion was obvious: They were losing. Túrelie scrunched up another report that had been handed to her and tossed it aside. She shook her head, leaned down and stared at the table showing holographic imagery of the current course of battle; the humans were pushing their forces harder to the east, and the elves on the bridges held their grounds. The human civilians were escaping, and worst of all, the Rangers were getting closer.

There was one thing left to do.

“Time to turn the course of the battle,” she said. “Lieutenant! Get the new weapons!”

The lieutenant and ran off, but Túrelie didn’t bother to look up from the table. There was plenty on her mind, and it would take a while to go over the list.

The one thing that did draw her from the table was a certain Zordonian walking up to her. “Nervous?”

“I am not nervous,” she replied.

“You’re sweating.”

“Phaedos, you have the opportunity to exact your revenge upon the Rangers, and you are concerned about me?”

“I love you, baby.”

She didn’t move for a couple moments until the lieutenant returned with the box. Even after she obtained her bracelet, she did not say anything. But as they were heading out, she turned to him. “What has possessed you?”

“I could die,” he said. “Obviously, I’m going to kill them first, but just in case, I wanted to—” This time their kiss wasn’t hard or hate-filled, but passionate and genuinely loving. He didn’t need any instructions not to kiss back, so he did, anyway.

“For luck,” she said before leading him out of City Hall.

The Rangers fought their way north up Water Street. But, the rooftop Suitroops and their lasers of doom hindered their progress. A couple salvos hitting right in front of them stopped them right in their tracks. The other explosions, obviously causing much more damage somewhere in the city, made the situation more dire.

“Kevin! Think you can hit that guy?” Sean asked.

Kevin looked up at the top of the Gold’s Gym where the Suitroops were firing from. Obviously they didn’t have a shot when the Rangers were under the skyway. But he had to get to a better angle to shot, because the angle was already bad. There was just the parking garage.

“Let’s see if I can get up on the skyway,” he said. The other Rangers helped him jump up onto the skyway. He had a shot at the; a tough shot, but a shot nonetheless.

He didn’t flinch when Hitomi jumped on the skyway bridge, either. But she was just as cool as she aimed her arrow at the Suitroops. Neither of them, however, noticed that the others were already helping some civilians get out of dodge before anything happened.

Both of them fired! The first Suitroop was barely hit by Kevin’s shot and fell to the pavement almost nine stories down, where it crashed and made a crater in the pavement. Hitomi’s arrow hit the gunner Suitroop. It reacted, pulling the trigger and the gun up so that the energy projectile hit the façade of the building near it.

Arquen looked up at the blast throwing debris everywhere. A woman and her son had left the US Cellular store there, and was right underneath the falling debris. The others were so caught up in fighting the Suitroops they didn’t see this. So Arquen acted without hesitation, rushing over to the woman and her son, pushed them down, and shielded them from the falling debris.

“GREEN!” Ritchie shouted, getting the other Rangers’ attention. They stopped their shooting to do help rescue the woman and her son and Arquen.

The elf in question slowly pushed the debris off of him. There was darkness and silence, except for the boy’s crying. “Are you alright?” he asked tentatively. He could feel the woman nodding. He gingerly pushed the rock covering him off and helped the woman stand up. The feeling of the wind against his face alerted him to his situation, and the helmet lying on the ground in front of him confirmed it.

“Thank you so much!” the woman hugged him tightly. When she let go, he could see her expression changing from gratitude to fear. He knew what she was looking at, and he could only tighten his lips. “What?”

“Fear me if you want,” he said. “My people know not what they do. There are more of my species on the bridges to the north and south. They can help you to safety.”

The boy didn’t say anything, but admiringly gazed at Arquen until his mom pulled him away from the other Rangers.

“Thankless bitch,” said Ritchie.

“She will come to appreciate me on her own,” Arquen said as he re-donned his helmet. “For now, we have work to do.”

“And we’re right where we need to be,” Sean said as an explosion ripped through the street several blocks eastward down Mason. “Let’s do this!”

They stepped forward, but a powerful explosion in front of them threw them back several feet. Of course this wasn’t going to be easy. And the ringing in their ears was bad enough already.

They stood up to face their new opponents, who stood across the intersection from them. The sight of Phaedos made Sean, Maria, Kevin and Hitomi’s blood boil, but Arquen was just relieved to not see Tiris among them. There was Túrelie, Phaedos, Tirna, Floki and another unnamed officer they didn’t recognize and probably didn’t bother to get to know in any way.

“Surrender now, Rangers!” Túrelie called.

“Say please!” Sean retorted.

“… PLEASE.”

“Lemme think… NO. Why don’t _you_ surrender? I mean, you _are_ losing, your captured territory has been reduced to only a couple square blocks and we’re right on your doorstep!”

Túrelie rolled her eyes and sighed. She looked at the ones to her right and left and tugged on the bracelet on her left wrist.

“Ooooh, whatcha got there?” Sean asked.

“ _Power suit, activate!_ ” All five of them pressed the buttons on their bracelets. A flash of light momentarily blinded the Rangers. When the light subsided, the Rangers looked back and a collective sigh escaped their lips.

The elves had morphed. Well, to be exact, they were more like Kamen Riders mixed with LOTR elf armor, Túrelie’s in particular being white, with the helmet taking on the effigy of a cat. Phaedos’s red suit included the effigy of a dragon. Floki must have been green, Tirna was yellow, and the new guy was blue.

“BAH!” Sean huffed. “Let’s see what you’ve got! _FAUGH AN BA_ —”

Their sudden attack cut Sean off. They landed uncountable blows on the Rangers until they finally stopped as sparks flew from the Rangers’ suits and an explosion ripped through the pavement. They moaned, but Phaedos’s maniacal cackling was louder.

“So THIS is what your power feels like!” he exclaimed. “It is better than anything I have felt in my life!”

“Now we FINALLY have the power to KILL the Rangers!” Floki added.

“You have no chance, Rangers!” Túrelie threatened. “Surrender or die!”

“NEVER!” Sean shouted.

“Then, DIE!” Túrelie roared.

_To be continued…_

:-:-:-: Power Rangers GPX :-:-:-:

Maria: “Next time _on Power Rangers GPX Supercharged_!”

Phaedos: “YOU ARE BEATEN!”

Aengus: “We can do better than this.”

Eruvanda: “Please be alright.”

Bridge: “SEAN!”

Aengus: “Of course you can!”

Túrelie: “NOOO!!!”

Ragnar: “Unleash the weapon!”

Sean: “STAND FIRM!!!”

Unknown: “WAAAA-HOOOOOO!!!”

Maria: “That’s next time on _Power Rangers GPX Supercharged_!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, yeah, I know, I know, you hate two-parters as much as I do, but this one was planned. 
> 
> I had some problems with this one until I started getting inspiration here and there that I had to write down, and it just piled on and on, and I finally had a rhythm. I wanted this to be one of my better chapters so far, and while it’s not the climax, I hope it can help set it up with the oncoming chapter. But until then, I hope this is one of the best chapters I’ve written in terms of story and action I’ve done so far. Kind of what I get for marathoning In Space and Lost Galaxy. And I felt there needed to be some academic issues put into the story.
> 
> I actually think Milwaukee’s a pretty nice city. You should go to the Milwaukee Public Museum or at least check out the Art Museum’s façade. Besides that, I feel bad for pretty much destroying part of the city. At least it’s fictional!   
> But the stakes had to be raised. And hopefully I did a good job of it.  
> But please, tell me what you think! The review button’s right down there!


	24. The battle of Milwaukee, part 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hitomi: "Last time, on Power Rangers GPX Supercharged!"
> 
> Sean: "I fucking hate finals."
> 
> Ragnar: "Operation Ragnarok is ready."
> 
> Phaedos: "I could die in battle."
> 
> Eruvanda: "Ragnar has not attacked you in weeks because he has diverted the military's resources into preparing what he calls 'Operation Ragnarok'."
> 
> Ragnar: "Today is the beginning of the end of humanity."
> 
> (Elves start attacking Milwaukee. The Rangers teleport to Milwaukee with help from Wisconsin elves. They fight to gain a stronghold)
> 
> Sean: "Y'know, this IS kinda like Orlando. Except we're WINNING!"
> 
> Turelie: "Lieutenant! Get the new weapons!"
> 
> Arquen: "My people know not what they do."
> 
> (Turelie, Phaedos and others morph into elven Kamen Riders. The Rangers are fucked.)

Power Rangers GPX Supercharged, episode 47: The Battle of Milwaukee, Part 2

:-:-:-: We're the best damn chance you've got, Power Rangers G-P-X, let's go! :-:-:-:

When we last left our heroes, they were confronted by elven military officers who'd morphed into Kamen Rider/Power Ranger suits, something the veteran Rangers had no idea was possible.

"Are we fucked?" Ritchie asked.

"You most certainly _are_ fucked," Turelie replied. "WE now have the power of the Bio-field that gives you your powers! We have taken the title of the warriors of old, the Masked Riders of Alfheim!"

"You are BEATEN!" Phaedos taunted.

"Before we've even fought!?" Sean replied. "I think not!" He pointed the GT Sword at them. "LET'S GO, BOYS!"

"AND GIRLS!"

"WHATEVER!" Sean said. "LET'S GO!" The Rangers released their battle cry and charged the enemies. They released their own battle cry and ran forward to confront the Rangers in the middle of the intersection. Sean tried to make a B-line for Turelie, but he didn't make it. He felt a hard blow knocking him to the ground, but like getting checked by a big defenseman, but even harder.

He slid several feet away, but got up in time to block Phaedos's first punch. He countered with a reverse roundhouse kick. Phaedos ducked and knocked Sean off his foot, also causing him to drop his sword in the process. After rolling out of the way of Phaedos's foot, Sean drew his blaster and let off a couple shots at the Zordonian, but Phaedos jumped out of the way and landed right behind him. The Red Ranger couldn't defend against a kick to the middle of his back. Sean got back up, holstered his blaster, grabbed his GT Sword and took a big swing at Phaedos. Their swords loudly crashed, throwing sparks all over.

Sean may not have gotten his hands on Turelie, but Arquen got to her on time, taking the first swing at the General. After blocking the strike, Turelie swiftly shuffled around to Aruqen's back to kick him in the middle of his back. Arquen didn't go down, but he was most certainly caught off guard. He swiftly spun and caught Turelie's next punch and elbowed his former colleague in the rib. She didn't go down, but she grappled his suit, sweep-kicked him off his feet and punched him. Moving out of the way, he jump back up, spun and kicked at her.

Clad in blue, Floki recognized Kevin as his target. The mad elf charged at Kevin, wildly waving his sword in the air, allowing Kevin to duck underneath it. Without turning around, Kevin kicked Floki's helmet. Floki stumbled, but jumped over the larger, rugby-playing Blue Ranger. Rolling on the ground, Kevin leapt back to his feet and hastily kicked Floki, which only seemed to make the crazy elf mad. Floki screamed psychotically and almost immaturely, grabbed the larger Blue Ranger, lifted him off the ground, threw him back onto it and held his sword up with a psychotic grin.

Tirna's first kick sent Hitomi flying into the Bruegger's bagel restaurant on the corner. Maria jumped in, landing Haz Dagger hits on Tirna until, after the sparks settled, Tirna punched Maria to send the Venezuelan flying backwards. Having already dislodged herself from the bagel place, Hitomi put Tirna in a headlock from behind, but the Zordonian general flipped her over and onto her back. But Maria jumped over her friend to tackle Tirna. After landing, Tirna rolled out of the way of Maria's leg. The Zordonian general grabbed Maria's ankle, but Hitomi pulled them off her.

Even though he didn't get to fight an older enemy, Ritchie's bout against the unknown elven general was just as tough. The general had him in a half Nelson, dragging him away from the action until Ritchie stomped on the elf's foot. At first, the general hopped on his good foot, but surprised Ritchie by blocking his kick and countering with the bad foot. The Oneida Rocket was surprised, but not too long, as he punched the general's visor, knocking the general down. The general got back up to his feet, drew his Energy Staff, and shot Ritchie with sparks erupting from his suit.

Sean landed face-first on the pavement. He reached for his sword, but Phaedos's foot came down on the blade. At first he struggled to pull it out from under Phaedos, but he sighed to himself, let go of the handle, got up and punched Phaedos. Now that the son of a bitch was off his sword, he picked it back up and brought it down on Phaedos, only for him to block and parry the strike. Phaedos countered, thrusting his blade at Sean and landing three successive strikes on the Red Ranger, throwing sparks all around and a kick to the sternum sent Sean flying backwards.

Across from them, Arquen and Turelie fought with more ferociousness than he and Tiris did some time ago. But Turelie virtually danced around Arquen until he landed a lucky blow. Turelie angrily hissed and kicked his helmet. He recovered after staggering backwards and blocked her slash. He pushed her off and threw a right hook that barely missed. She caught the next punch and kneed him in the stomach. He gasped as his breath momentarily left him, only to feel a hard blow against his back. He groaned but got back up, lunged at her, thrust his sword. It missed. She punched him back.

Having been outfight earlier, Floki was beginning to get the upper hand on Kevin. He jumped over Kevin a couple of times, dodging his shots each time. The Irishman growled, and it got worse when Floki landed right in front of him, and punched his neck. With Kevin down, Floki put his hands around his neck, giggling all the way. Kevin swatted Floki on the side of the head, knocking him off of him. This only made Floki angry, like a Primeape using Rage. Lashing out at Kevin, Floki snarled, grabbed the Blue Ranger, and recklessly shoved him into the pavement.

Grabbing a hold of both women's boots, Tirna kept Hitomi and Maria at bay. They pushed the Yellow and Pink Rangers to the ground, drew their sword and slashed the both of them. But after grabbing their seatbelts, Maria grabbed Tirna's arm. She twisted it behind their back, to let Hitomi kick their chin. Tirna countered, kneeing her in the gut. They forced their way out of Maria's grip and kicked Maria's sternum, then punching Hitomi in the chin. With both opponents on the ground, Tirna snickered as they stomped on Hitomi's chest, making the Japanese heiress cry out in pain.

The unknown elven general pushed his sword into Ritchie's visor, and Ritchie grabbed the blade and tried to push it away. The general let go of the sword and grabbed a bewildered Ritchie and tossed him aside. Ritchie landed effortlessly, but the general caught up to him, kicking his back and ribs. Rolling away, Ritchie got back up and countered, kicking the general's chin. The general fell back, but grabbed his sword and swiped at the Oneida Rocket, landing a few hard blows on the Rocket's torso, throwing sparks around and the Rocket backwards.

The Northern Wisconsin elves still held the East Wisconsin Ave bridge, but not without difficulty. Suitroops and Alfheim troops were being thrown at them like stones. Energy blasts flew all around them, but they'd made a barricade with cars and other objects that would make Enjolras proud andfor the most part, absorbed the blasts and made them go ka-blooey instead of Dalek EX-TER-MIN-ATE insta-death blasts.

They popped their heads up every time there was a break in the blasts. A couple of shots took out three Suitroops and an Alfheim soldier. Then they ducked as more blasts whizzed overhead.

A small number of Sconnie elves started to fall back. Aengus, their leader, turned around in time to see this. He yelled and gestured at them to get back in position. Most of his verbal stuff was lost over the din, but that's why gestures exist.

"Why did we have to erect a barricade?" he said to himself. Barricades are purely defensive. That's probably the biggest mistake the Barricade Boys made in Les Mis, since they fell back into a defensive position instead of marching on Versailles. But hey, protests aren't war. Either way, Aengus leaned his head back against the banged-up and scorched Subaru they used as part of the barricade.

Finn crawled over to his side and did the same gesture. He watched as Aengus closed his eyes and tug on his right boot. "Are you alright, sir?" he asked.

"We can do better than this," Aengus replied.

"I do not disagree, sir," said Finn. "I hate defensive positions as much as you do."

"… Of course," said Aengus.

"And breaking out will be difficult. They will certainly cut us down if we jump over the automobiles."

"You took the words out of my mouth," said Aengus. "Fergus will certainly be unhappy if we stay AND die."

"At least we have a great position," said Finn. "I do not see them being able to overtake—oh damn, I sincerely apologize, sir."

"Forgiven," said Aengus. "But we must break out. These automobiles our in our way. But we should not go over them."

"How about through, sir?"

"I like that idea," Aengus smiled, reaching out to shake the younger elf's hand. "GENTLELVES! Half of you stay here to hold our position! The rest of you, we break through!" He pointed at one half of the soldiers on the bridge. The ones he didn't point to moved forward. There, he whispered his plan to his soldiers.

They stood up but stayed low under the cars, drew their swords and put their shields up. Aengus held his sword out to the side, looked behind him on said, "On my signal, we break through! The rest of you, provide covering fire! READY!

"GO!"

The Sconnie elves pushed on the cars, using their shields amidst the crossfire. The covering fire did the trick, letting the soldiers pushing forward to break through the barrier, charging the enemies, yelling at the top of their lungs, and scaring the shit out of the enemy soldiers. The two sides mixed. The Sconnie elves pushed forward, the Alfheim elves pushed back. But the Sconnie elves had the momentum and the advantage.

Forming a wedge, they cut right through the middle of the Alfheim wall. The Alfheimers fell to the side, stunned by the sudden breakthrough, and were routed in a matter of minutes. The survivors, of which there were actually quite a lot, broke away to retreat. Their commander screamed and shouted slurs at them, but they paid no heed. And when he heard a Sconnie elf coming up from behind him, he turned around to see Finn charging him down, brandishing his curved sword, and slashing him in the chest.

:-:-:-: PRGPX :-:-:-:

"… _The forces holding the Wisconsin Avenue Bridge seem to have broken through…_ "

Rubbing her temples, Liz watched the feed from the helicopter. Suffice to say it wasn't the news she wanted to hear, although she pumped her fist at seeing the Sconnie elves kicking arse. Was she a traitor like Ragnar said? No, she just wanted peace.

She wasn't the only being in the house that was worried about the Rangers. AJ, now Payton, because Sean wasn't about to associate his beloved dog with a member of the Packers, whined as he sat on Eruvanda's lap and she scratched the top of his head. Aaron was busy working on his back exercises, but stopped on the odd occasion that the Power Rangers were mentioned.

"Show the Rangers already," she whispered. "Please be alright, Arquen."

" _What about the Power Rangers?_ " the anchor finally asked, reflecting the concerns of the room's occupants.

"Finally!"

" _It doesn't look very good,_ " said the helicopter reporter. " _They're getting… I'm not really sure how to describe it_."

"Oh no," Liz sighed.

She wasn't the only very concerned viewer right now. Across town, Bridge had to force bad memories of Orlando last July out of her mind, but sitting next to a PTSD-stricken Silver Ranger husband, who, if given the chance, would have literally jumped to re-join the team. Instead, he sat on the couch averting his eyes from much of the unfolding carnage. "SEAN!" she shouted. He finally shook his head, got up and walked away to be in his doctor-suggested happy place. But Bridge also got up and went over to him. She gripped his shoulder, staring into his eyes. He stared back. Then they both touched foreheads.

A similar story unfolded not that far from the O'Callahan-Jackson household, in the Rusco/Fox house. None of them looked away, their eyes glued to the TV set, although each blow on Hitomi (she thought) made Gina wince, clench her eyes and even look away. But looking at her father, she could've sworn that he wasn't thinking. He was, but it might be hard to explain/describe what exactly it was without going into such extreme detail it would derail the story like in The Brick. But to put it simply, he nodded his head at the Sconnie elves' strategy, but his expression turned to concern whenever the Rangers were shown.

Janet was not at home. Unless you count "home" being on the ice, practicing her figure skating then yeah. She skated around, spinning, jumping and twirling, throwing ice shavings around and stopping to pose when the sounds of a commotion could be heard outside of the rink. That was strange, she remarked to herself. So she skated off and went to where a crowd had gathered. She poked her head around, stood on her tip-toes and finally pushed through to get a better view of the TV. She wished she didn't the moment she got a view of someone punching the Gold Ranger—oddly coincidental—like a punching bag. She gasped, but clasped her hand over her mouth, turned away and went back to the rink.

His lunch was a college student's lunch; Cinnamon Toast Crunch and milk he'd bought from a nearby Walgreens. Yet Jimmy shoveled the cereal into his mouth like it was prime rib steak. Like everyone else, his eyes were glued to the news reports of the shit going down in Milwaukee. He mouthed a few curse words expressing the same feel a lot of people watching probably shared; he wished he was there.

The doorbell rang. He forced the cereal down and stood up. It was obvious he wasn't planning much for today, just by the way he dressed; a red Blackhawks shirt and a pair of gym shorts. But he didn't bother changing, instead rushing right to the door, opened it and stared at the man wearing military fatigues.

"Jimmy O'Callahan, correct?" he asked.

"Uh, yeah?"

"I have something for you."

:-:-:-: Power Rangers GPX :-:-:-:

"YOU ARE BEATEN!" Phaedos laughed maniacally. This time it made a little more sense. Sean was on the ground, laying against a small brick wall that kept some trees, in front of the Harris Bank branch on Mason.

"Keep saying that," Sean replied through several quick breaths.

Phaedos threw his head back and laughed. "Really!? You haven't changed a bit, you dim-witted human!"

"I'm stubborn!" Sean replied before getting back up and lunging at Phaedos and their swords clashed again.

If he could see through the visor, Phaedos would have seen the determined fire in Sean's eyes. And likewise, the Irish-American couldn't see the rage in his opponent's. Sean kept his hand tightly gripped on the GT Sword's blade, resisting his enemy's efforts to weaken him and push him to the ground.

"You're exhausted!" Phaedos laughed. Before Sean could react, Phaedos kicked Sean's gut and whacked his head. Stunned, Sean fell to the pavement. Phaedos kicked his chest. He cried out as the wind got knocked out of him.

"THEY ARE EXHAUSTED!" Phaedos laughed and shouted to the rest of them. He swiped at Sean to prove his point. Sean leapt up from the ground, spun and landed a short distance away.

"I'm not done yet," he growled, albeit through tired breaths.

But not helping his case was Floki landing hard blows on Kevin's suit and kicking the Irishman down. Then the insane elf leapt on top of Kevin, removing his helmet so he could see his nightmarish expression. "I am going to make you scream at your death! Wet yourself out of sheer horror! And die so dishonorably, embarrassingly and humiliating, that God will toss you out of heaven! And I am going to take pleasure in your death!"

"Oh, _póg mo thóin_!" Kevin snapped back. "Come, you are a tedious fool! From hell's heart I stab at thee, ya feckin' eejit gobshite nutter!"

"What!?"

"I'll die with dignity even if I'm sufferin' from AIDS and cancer at the same time!" he replied before bashing Floki on the side of the head.

It was the same with the others. Even though they were tired, they weren't going to go down without a fight.

" _¡_ _Comer mierda y muerte, tu_ _hijo de puta!_ " Maria shouted upon receiving Tirna's threat, much to their confusion.

But Phaedos and Turlie both sighed. So after Floki re-donned his helmet, the quintet summoned new weapons. Using these weapons, they herded the Rangers until they were all gathered in front of them. As if he figured out what was going on, Sean shouted, "SCATTER! And take 'em from the side!"

The elven Kamen Riders pointed their rifle-like and swords at the Power Rangers. They shouted something. Their blades and muzzles glowed.

" _ **FIRE!**_ " Turelie bellowed. Phaedos and Turelie slashed. The other three fired. Their energy blasts hit the Rangers, throwing sparks from their suits and launching them several feet away. The pavement exploded.

When the smoke cleared, the Rangers lay in a heap, unmorphed and in pretty visible pain. But they still climbed up off the pavement.

The next events were a blur to the Rangers. The elven Kamen Riders didn't get an opportunity to finish the Rangers off as more shots flew in from the south, throwing them into chaos. Several armored figures ran into the intersection, picking the Rangers up and carrying them off. The small glimpses they had of their rescuers' armor told the Rangers they didn't have anything to worry about from them, although there was still that little bit of doubt in the back of their minds.

At the intersection, Turelie furiously screamed so loud it echoed in the canyon of buildings. "FIND THEM!" she screamed again.

"We will find them!" Phaedos replied. "Calm down!"

"RAGNAR WILL HAVE MY HEAD!" Turelie replied. "Unless I take YOURS!" She tried to grab at him. The rest of the squad tried to separate her from Phaedos. In the midst of all their shouting, Ragnar was screaming into their helmet communicators, cursing them in Elvish.

" _ENOUGH OF THIS!_ " he shouted to grab their attention. " _I WILL HAVE ALL YOUR HEADS IF YOU DO NOT WORK AS A TEAM! FIND THEM!_ "

"SPREAD OUT AND SEARCH!" Turelie ordered to the Suitroops and soldiers that had come from City Hall to reinforce them. "Sometimes I wish the Red Ranger ran his sword through you!" she said to Phaedos.

The Rangers were not concussed. But everything had gone by so fast it was as if they'd been knocked out. By the time they figured out what had happened, they were in the lobby of an office building somewhere down the street from City Hall, being tended to by Sconnie elf doctors. Only one of the Rangers seemed to be fully aware of what was going on, and that was Arquen. He was fully cooperating with the doctor, who, from what it sounded like, spoke Arquen's elvish.

You learn something new every day.

"Everyone alright?" Sean called, earning a weak reply from everyone else. A Sconnie elf marched up to him and shoved something in his face. Backing off, he looked up at the elf, who shoved it and a Gatorade bottle right in Sean's face. Not even bothering to ask where he got the Gatorade, Sean took it and chugged the stuff.

"Eat the bread," said Arquen. "They said it will give you the energy you need to counterattack."

Well, Sean's stomach did growl, so he grabbed the bread and chomped a large chunk of it off. The other Rangers did much the same thing.

Maria walked up behind him, put her arms around his neck and cuddled with him, a move that helped him relax. "Thanks, by the way."

"The one who gave you the bread is Aengus, their leader," said Arquen. "The father of the doctor, Lugh, is from Alfheim, so he knows my tongue."

"Convenient," said Kevin. "Kinda wish we knew about him sooner."

"The rest of Aengus's forces are doing battle," said Arquen. Aengus spoke again and Lugh translated to Arquen. "He also says we only have a few minutes to recuperate before the enemy inevitably finds the invisibility barrier we are in."

"This feels like an _I Love Lucy_ episode I saw once," said Maria. "You know, the one with the translation line?"

"Kev, you wanna translate for them?" Sean asked.

"No," said Kevin. "I probably made some mistakes along the way."

"Speaking of _I Love Lucy_ ," said Ritchie, "Which _Power Rangers_ episode is the one where they get their butts kicked and fight back?"

"Every other episode," said Sean. "Wait, that's happened to us…" He counter with his fingers. "Three times. And what are they doing with my morpher?"

"Fixing it," said Arquen. "They said it was damaged."

Sean opened his mouth to speak, but apparently decided it was a better idea to lean back against Maria, who happily obliged to hold him tighter. "So now what?" she asked. "Are we just going to sit here and wait until they find us?"

"It might be a better idea then busting out while we're still hungry," Ritchie said after swallowing the Sconnie elf bread. "By the way, these guys are so polite. They're true 'Sconnies, doncha know!"

"So is the Fonz and Seven Hyde," said Sean. "Speaking of which, I hope the Fonz statue's alright." He snickered even as Maria knocked the side of his head. "Well, polite enough to feed us."

This conversation intrigued Aengus as he tried to listen to their language. It proved to be a fruitless effort, however. He visibly gave up and turned to Finn next to him. "These humans are strange," he said.

"Of course," Finn replied.

"How are their devices coming along?" he continued.

"They are difficult to work with," said one of his officers named Nuada. "I have not worked with these yet."

"Then do not damage them!" Aengus ordered.

"But… how are the humans strange?" Finn asked.

"They appear to be experienced," said Aengus. "Wait. Why am I surprised about this? I heard about them. I was ready to fight the Zordonians. Then they showed up. I would have teleported to the human capital if not for them and that damned shield. Now I am surprised. These humans are indeed strange. Just as strange is how a General of Alfheim could turn on Alfheim."

"Then ask him," said Finn.

"Lugh, ask the General why did he defect?" Aengus asked.

Without missing a beat, Arquen replied, "Beethoven." The other Rangers snickered and broke out in guffaws.

It didn't amuse Aengus, however. He rolled his eyes and shook his head. "I swear, how—" He stopped. His expression changed. "That is IT!" he said. "Tell them we want to attack Alfheim with the Queen. And we could use that Beethoven music, Lugh."

"Attack Alfheim?" Sean asked. "Are you sure that's a good idea? I mean, wouldn't that bring us to Ragnar's level."

"Defensive thinking, Sir," said Finn.

"I know that," Aengus said while rubbing his face. "Nuada, how is the device repair coming along?"

"Better," said Nuada. "I should have it ready soon."

"Thank you," said Aengus. He turned to Sean but made sure Lugh could hear him. "Mr. O'Callahan, you and I are more similar than you think; I fear we are both under threat if Ragnar overruns you. You cannot play defensively forever. It is naïve to think so. Why do you think we came to rescue you?"

"I'm a Power Ranger," Sean replied. "My job is to defend, not attack."

Aengus sullenly sighed, rolled his eyes and turned away. But he also laughed. "I know what your plan is, Red Ranger," he snarled and growled. "You think you can defeat him by playing defense and using the Pink Ranger's relationship with the elf-girl for propaganda usage."

"Are you saying the only reason I'm proud of the girl is because I can use her for propaganda?" Sean seethed. "After what she's been through in her life, she finally gets a little happiness, discovers something about herself and potentially changes the world?"

Aengus scoffed. "Typical human naïveté and failure to see the bigger threat! No wonder you cannot seem to stop the climate from changing!"

"Typical elven arrogance!" Sean snapped back, earning an exasperated sigh from Arquen. "Sorry, Arty."

"Are you stubborn?"

"No, duh!"

"Your stubbornness may have served you well, but watch out; it may cost you," said Aengus. "And while it is admirable that you be displeased with killing, you may have to kill an enemy, and I doubt you have the fortitude to do it. Who am I fooling? Of course you can!"

"Y'know, I got better things to do than worry about that," Sean continued. "Like what the hell are we gonna do if they find us and we're not ready to fight!?"

Sean's concern wasn't unfounded. Suitroops, soldiers and our favorite Kamen Rider gang scoured downtown Milwaukee's streets in hopes of finding them. It's pretty obvious their efforts were fruitless. And the fruitlessness visibly frustrated Turelie as she fisted her hair, clenched her teeth and sullenly sighed.

"Where could they have gone?" she asked herself.

"General!" a soldier called to her. "We have detected some of the same energy Alfheim's barrier gives off near the US Bank Center. We are trying to locate the source."

"The US Bank Center is the tallest in the city," said Turelie.

"Yes, it is," said the soldier.

"… And?"

"We are searching for the source in that general vicinity," he said.

"Good," said Turelie. "Once you have confirmed it, send a tank in. Let us finish them off before they have a chance to counterattack."

"… Well, pre-law majors tend to vary," said Ritchie. "I mean, my dad wasn't crazy when I told him I was thinking about majoring in History, until I told him that I wanted to go to law school, and then he just got so happy. 'Oh my god, I should tell the guys at the station you're going to work for NARF'!" Sean sniggered, but that was visibly annoying to Ritchie.

"NARF!" he said like a certain animated mouse. "… Sorry, totally my fault."

"I like him too, but let's be serious!" Ritchie snapped. "Anyway, I have to get my GPA up a little higher to even get the right qualification for law school. My academic advisor said it should be easy with the way I'm going. And yeah, I might even join NARF."

"NARF is a good organization," said Kevin. "I hear they've done some good things."

"I read about one of their cases while I was at NIU," said Sean. "It was a case where they fought for Indian fishing rights in Alaska."

"Yeah, that was the one that made me want to become a lawyer," said Ritchie. "By the way, I just thought… who was it that dragged you guys into this?"

Hitomi, Kevin and Maria all promptly pointed at Sean in a half-accusing, quarter-shaming and quarter-teasing way, making Sean roll his eyes. "At least you guys don't regret it, right?"

"Sometimes," said Kevin. "And that's when I want to punch you harder than James Joyce's writing is to read."

"I know, I'm an asshole," Sean replied.

Arquen didn't pay much attention to the humans' conversation. Instead, Aengus told him about what they were doing before the Alfheim elves attacked Milwaukee. "Hunting the creature is rather easy, to be honest," said Aengus. "It's incredibly powerful stench is so strong that humans can smell it. We had found the Hodag not five days earlier, and it was the same one we were hunting today."

Ritchie wasn't exactly listening in, but the word "Hodag" caught his attention. Leaning back, he heard it coming from Aengus again. "Hey! Did he say 'Hodag'?"

"He did," said Arquen. "Why?"

Suddenly, Ritchie burst into a giddy laugh, surprising everyone else. "The Hodag is real!" he chuckled.

"Ah, so that's what you're laughing about," said Sean. "I thought you were thinking about some cow-tipping story."

"You know what the hodag is, right?"

"Some excuse sore loser Packer fans make for their team's latest choke?"

"No. But Bears fans have a lot of excuses for their team's losses," said Ritchie. "The hodag is an ugly, smelly monster—just like you!

"I am neither ugly nor smelly!" Sean snapped.

"Your hockey jersey says otherwise," said Kevin.

"Go whining back to Wrigley, ya FIB," said Ritchie.

"HOW DARE YOU, SIR, imply that I, an honorable supporter of the Chicago White Stockings, would secretly support that VILE club in the stadium-that-shall-not be named!? You insult my honor sir, I demand satisfaction!"

"By the way, Aengus says there is a rather ferocious wolf beast in the southern part of the state they have had to deal with before," Arquen interrupted. "He says they found near some place called 'Bray Road'." Ritchie immediately cringed and frowned. Sean threw his head back and laughed derisively.

The Rangers were strange, Finn thought, which was so obvious it was written all over his face. Being unable to understand them had something to do with it. So he turned back around to face the outside, and—

"DAMN!" he shouted, his voice echoing through the lobby and catching everyone's attention.

"We were having a conversation and _¡AY DIOS MIO!_ "

The enemy tank was outside, pointing its big nasty gun at them.

:-:-:-: PRGPX :-:-:-:

_To be continued…_


	25. The Battle of Milwaukee, part 3

Power Rangers GPX Episode 48: The Battle of Milwaukee, Part 3

:-:-:-: We're the Best Damn Chance you've Got, Power Rangers G-P-X, GO! :-:-:-:

Aengus shouted orders to his soldiers, pointing to them, outside and at other things. Then he pointed at the Rangers and to the elevators past the security gates. While the Sconnie elves moved into position, the Rangers ran to the elevators as Nuada handed their morphers back to them. But Aengus called for Sean and Kevin. They both stopped as they waited for Aengus to speak.

"Why must my son Fergus place his faith in you?" he asked. "As well as I?"

Sean shrugged after Kevin translated. "We're the fucking Power Rangers," he said before taking off for the elevators. After Kevin translated for Aengus, he shook his head, rolled his eyes and walked outside. But not before Nuada stopped to tell him something.

"I found a back-up suit in their devices, sir."

Turelie stared up at a dark spot high in the sky and then turned back to the US Bank Center's north entrance on E Wisconsin. The spot up above them was out of range. There was nothing she could do about it, but it was certainly annoying.

It was a US Army Black Hawk helicopter watching the events unfold below.

:-:-:-: PRGPX :-:-:-:

Col. Greene could see the tank on his monitor. He closed his eyes, sighed and turned to another officer. "Are there any aircraft in the vicinity?" he asked.

"There's one Apache five minutes out," said the soldier. "Providing air support."

"Send it in," said Col. Greene. "Then get the Rangers on the horn, we need to warn them."

The soldier immediately contacted the Apache pilot, ordering him to target the tank on E Wisconsin.

:-:-:-: Power Rangers GPX :-:-:-:

" _I do not see them, General!_ " the tank gunner called out.

"It matters not," she said. "If they are not in the lobby, then we move in! Be ready to fire on command."

She turned to a soldier holding an Infrared screen that showed several figures moving in front of them. The sound of smashing glass accompanied those movements. They were possibly mad, but had no other choice. This was war. You don't take it safe in war.

"Tank gun, ready!" she called out. "FIRE!"

The ground shook as the tank fired its energy blast at the façade, blowing it up in a spectacular explosion. Several figures flickered in and out of view. Wood-elves, from the look of things, and they promptly started shooting back, simultaneously disappearing from view. Turelie ducked behind the tank as energy blasts flew past her. But she stayed calm, twiddled her fingers and waited for the tank gunners to re-load.

" _Ready, General!_ " the gunner shouted.

"Fire at will, Lieutenant!" she replied.

The tank fired again. The façade exploded again, throwing shrapnel, glass and bodies all around. Some of the Wisconsin Elves became patches of blood on the pavement, others became half the elves they used to be.

It took all of Aengus's strength not to look at them. But hiding behind a cement block on the northeast corner of the building didn't give him much of a choice. He finally straightened back up and let off a couple of energy shots. He sighed in relief upon seeing Alfheim's soldiers struggle to find his location. The shield must have still been operational. Although he doubted it was going to stay that way for much longer. Next to him, Finn kept shooting.

The Sconnie elves promptly returned fire, pinning Alfheim's soldiers behind the tank and other barriers. The tank fired again. A third explosion rocked the front of the building. Like some of the others, Finn dove to cover Aengus's body from the subsequent explosion. This one seemed to do the trick. Alheim's soldiers and Suitroops had already drawn their swords and were attacking his soldiers. The ones who were still able to fight stood up and met the soldiers and Suitroops. Aengus promptly stood and gave his comrades covering fire, sending some of Alfheim's soldiers and Suitroops scattering.

"Sir! To the west!" Finn shouted. Aengus turned in that direction to see a dark spot heading their way.

Turelie saw it too. And upon hearing the sound it made, her eyes widened in shock and horror. "SCATTER!" she shouted. "ENEMY HELICOPTER!"

The Apache fired its machine guns and Hellfire missiles from long range, sending Alfheim's soldiers and Suitroops scurrying for cover. The Hellfire slammed into tank, destroying it with a cool explosion.

Understandably, Turelie unhappily watched as the tank became a crater in the middle of the asphalt. She was even unhappier when she heard Phaedos say, "Well, there goes the plan."

The rejuvenated Sconnie elves pushed Alfheim's soldiers and Suitroops back to the north side of the road, albeit avoiding the smoldering crater that was once a tank.

Making matter worse for Turelie, she heard someone shout, "YOOOOOOO-HOOOOOOOOOO!" She sighed unhappily as she saw the six figures standing on the lobby's roof.

Of course, the Rangers couldn't have picked a better spot for a dramatic re-showdown. "ALRIGHT, PEOPLE!" Sean shouted. "PERIOD 3'S ABOUT TO BEGIN! HERE'S WHERE WE WIN IT IN THE DYING SECONDS! Our bellies are full, and our determination's never been stronger! READY!?"

" _READY!_ "

" _GPX! START IT UP!_ "

They had a new look upon morphing. Black leggings replaced the white ones, but the colored stripe still went down the side of the leg. A white-black-white stripe ran down from the left side of the collar to the hip, and the usual chest symbol had moved to the left breast, like a soccer badge. And a racing stripe from the visor down to the chin replaced the mouthpiece. Other than that, most of it was still the same. Even Ritchie's, since his hadn't changed one bit.

"LET'S DO IT!" Sean bellowed. " _ALLONS-Y!_ " The Rangers leapt from the lobby roof and attacked.

Teaming up with the Sconnie elves, the Rangers made quick work of the Suitroops and pushed Alfehim's soldiers back towards the north side of East Wisconsin Ave and open the door for them to take it to Turelie and the Alfheim Kamen Riders. But before they could, Sean turned to the much-relieved Aengus. The Sconnie elf first nodded and then shouted orders to his soldiers. He and his soldiers kept Alfheim's Suitroops and soldiers at bay as the Power Rangers turned to their enemies.

They were in formation as they summoned their weapons, cooly approaching their enemies. Then they broke formation, pairing up with the enemies they'd been fighting earlier.

Sean aggressively swung the GT Sword at Phaedos. The Zordonian dodged, Sean reverse-roundhouse kicked at him. His blow landed, but Phaedos had blocked it. Then Phaedos tried to rip Sean from his feet. But Sean yanked his leg from Phaedos's grip, dropped the sword and socked Phaedos on his left cheek. With Phaedos reeling, Sean picked his sword back up, raised it above his head and swung it at Phardos. But the CLANG sound of Phaedos blocking the strike echoed in the canyon of concrete and metal. Their sword ground against each other until Sean pulled it away and kicked Phaedos in the solar plexus.

Floki leapt over Kevin, spun in mid-air and kicked at Kevin, but missed. Kevin grabbed Floki's leg and slammed him into the pavement. Floki got back up to try and hit Kevin near the kidney, only for the Irishman to artfully dodge, despite his bigger size. But Kevin shot Floki twice, antagonizing the rather crazy elf. He screamed as he lunged for Kevin. Kevin stepped out of the way, then lunged and tackled Floki hard. Both of them got back up, and Floki swung his fist at Kevin. The punch missed. Kevin effortlessly countered, throwing a right hook at Floki's neck, but it didn't finish him.

Turelie effortlessly vaulted off of the smoldering tank ruins to dodge Arquen's sword strike. Her former comrade also effortlessly leapt over the tank, bringing his sword down upon her, but she got out of the way and blocked his attack. Their blades made a loud "CLANG" sound. She parried the sword, giving herself a wide-open chance that only lasted less than a second before he blocked her next attack. Their swords glanced off each other's. They moved around each other and threw simultaneous punches that connected with each other's' fist. Arquen threw a kick at her that connected with the shoulder.

Tirna swung their legs like a windmill, missing Maria and allowing Hitomi to cartwheel in and put a boot in their chin. They staggered backwards, only for Maria to punch them. She kept her aggressive attacks up until Hitomi had a clear shot with the Am Bow. She released the arrow and it collided with Tirna's yellow armor. But Tirna punched Maria's midsection, grabbed her neck and tried to toss her into he pavement. But Hitomi lunged forward and kicked their knee. Tirna momentarily went down, but got back up again and out of the way right as the two women simultaneously punched them.

The nameless elven officer finally got his hands on Ritchie's suit and tried to shove him into he tank's flaming husk. But the Oneida Rocket turned the tables on him, grabbing his arm and shoving him into the husk. He ducked so he could pick his Gold Axe back up and used it to block the officer's staff. He partied the blow and swung it at him, only to miss. The elf jumped away from the burning tank and led Ritchie away from it. He swung the Axe again. He missed. The elf kicked Ritchie's gut. Ritchie doubled over but recovered in time to land a blow on the more-than-shocked elf.

That one blow marked a shift in the Power Rangers' favor.

Phaedos had knocked Sean's sword out of his hands though, but Sean had done the same to Phaedos. They were going at it hand-to-hand now. Sean blocked a punch from Phaedos and replied with an elbow in the chest, forcing Phaedos back. Sean roundhouse kicked Phaedos but that was blocked and Phaedos flipped him on his back. Sean quickly got back up and dodged a punch from Phaedos, kicking him in the back. He jump in the air and kicked Phaedos in the chest. He threw another punch that Phaedos blocked. Phaedos pulled him closer to him and whacked his shoulder, but Sean kneed his stomach.

Kevin reverse roundhouse kicked at Floki, Floki ducked and knocked Kevin off his other foot. But Kevin stopped himself with one hand, pushed himself back up and punched the side of Floki's helmet. Floki's retaliated, clenching Kevin's suit, lashing out like a rabid dog. Kevin kicked Floki's gut again, separating him from the mad elf. Then Floki dove for Kevin's legs, a failed venture as Kevin jumped to avoid him. When Floki got back down, Kevin lunged and tackled him, driving him into the building across from the US Bank Center. Floki angrily whirred, lunging at Kevin, but Kevin effortlessly stepped aside.

"TRAITOR!" Turelie screamed as she had her sword above Arquen's chest. But Arquen kicked her shin, bringing her down after he got out of the way. He roundhouse kicked her. She ducked and countered. Their fists furiously flew at an incredibly fast speed. Then, Arquen landed a hooking right jab to the spot where Turelie's left cheek would be, and she stumbled backwards on her feet until she caught herself and kicked his gut when he tried to get up to her. But he backed off when she countered. He blocked her kick, kicked her again, jumped off the side of the building he was near and landed another one.

Tirna lunged at Maria. Maria got out of the way. Hitomi whacked the right side of Tirna's helmet and slashed at them from behind. Maria elbowed Tirna. Tirna blocked and jumped several yards backwards to recuperate. Maria and Hitomi caught up to them. Maria thrust her daggers and Hitomi swiped. Maria missed, but Hitomi landed a glancing blow on Tirna's right side. Then Tirna desperately swiped at Maria. But Maroa leapt over them and landed two dagger blows on the Zordonian's back upon landing. Desperately, Tirna roughly tackled Hitomi. The Japanese woman pushed them off for Maria's strike.

Ritchie's opponent cornered him. But he ran up the façade and vaulted off. When he landed, he kicked the officer's back. After getting off the wall, the officer punched him. But Ritchie effortlessly dodged it and kicked him in the same movement. The elf officer jumped away when Ritchie swung his axe at him and kicked Ritchie's kidney. It hurt. But Ritchie recovered in time to jump away from the enemy and then ran back towards him. The elf was ready, but he wasn't ready when Ritchie converted axe to blaster and shot him twice. The officer leapt at him, but Ritchie kicked him down.

Sean effortlessly parried Phaedos's red-glowing sword, but a glancing blow knocked him aside. The blow happened to be on his helmet and now he had a gash on the right side of his mask. He heard his in-suit system tell him he wasn't injured before it warned him Phaedos was coming. He stood back up, blocked the Zordonian's attack and held it there. Once he pushed him off, "GT STRIKE!" and did the same thing to Phaedos.

"HEY, NICE MAKEOVER, O'CALLAHAN!" Ritchie teasingly called.

"SHADDAP, METOXEN!" he shot back.

"KNOCK IT OFF, THE BOTH OF YOU!" Maria replied as she took Tirna down.

"YOU'RE NOT THE BOSS OF ME, APARICIO!" Ritchie shot back.

"DON'T MAKE ME COME OVER THERE!" Maria countered.

"QUIT FIGHTING AMONGST EACH OTHER, FOOLS!" Arquen bellowed.

"WE FIGHT LIKE THIS ALL THE TIME!" Kevin bellowed as well, just for the sake of it.

"IT'S WHAT YOU GET WHEN YOU WORK WITH PEOPLE WITH DIFFERENT PERSONALITIES BUT LOVE EACH OTHER ANYWAY!" Hitomi cried, just to add to everything.

"EXACTLY! NOW LET'S FINISH 'EM!" Sean raised his sword above his head and thrust it down towards Phaedos, but the Zordonian had already gotten out of the way and Sean's blade embedded itself into the ground, anyway. Phaedos saw his chance as Sean struggled to pull the sword out of the ground, but Sean kicked his chin.

Similarly, Kevin had to dodge numerous furious strikes from the angry Floki. The effort was harder than he hoped and made it look, but he took hold of his rifle's muzzle and whacked the side of Floki's helmet. With the insane elf dazed and confused, he shot him twice with a Supercharged attack.

Turelie looked around at the carnage about to unfold around her, but twirled her sword at Arquen. Like Kevin, he jammed his key into his sword and lunged at her. Their blades furiously clashed, throwing sparks around until Arquen finally struck her abdomen.

Maria and Hitomi simultaneously activated their Supercharged modes and waited for Tirna to take the bait. They did and came at them. Maria double blocked their dagger strike and waited for Hitomi to cut Tirna's torso before Maria parried their sword and followed up Hitomi's attack.

Ritchie leapt, swinging his axe down at the elf general, but the general blocked his attack on time, but Ritchie side-kicked his head, reverse roundhouse kicked him and landed a pair of blows on the elven officer. When the elven officer tried to counter, he shot him twice.

Sean's face was visibly flush red and slick with sweat as he huffed and puffed, waiting for Phaedos to get up. "Havin' fun?" he asked.

"What is it about you?" Phaedos asked. "I'm the Terror of Rohan; I've defeated enemies across the galaxy, Juraian and otherwise. But you… YOU, some filthy human, have made my life miserable! DO YOU KNOW WHAT IT WAS LIKE IN THAT CRYSTAL PRISON WITH NOTHING BUT MY OWN THOUGHTS TO KEEP ME COMPANY!? WHAT IS IT ABOUT YOU THAT INFURIATES ME AND DRIVES ME TO TEAR YOU LIMB FROM LIMB, BURN YOU ALIVE AND SPIT ON YOUR REMAINS!? WHY ARE YOU SO SPECIAL!?"

"I dunno," Sean shrugged. "I'm just a kid from Chicago's South Side!"

Phaedos angrily roared. Sean jammed his key into the sword. The blade glowed red as Phaedos lunged at him. Acting out of reflex, he thrust the GT Sword at Phaedos's chest.

The sickening sound that came with it stopped everyone in their tracks, Turelie especially. She got up on her elbows and knees and removed her helmet. Her shocked expression and pale skin said it all.

"NO!" she screamed. "No! NOOOOOOO!"

Sean panicked. He struggled to pull the blade out of Phaedos as the Zordonian stood above him in agony. When he finally removed the sword, his blade was covered in the Zordonian's green blood, but he didn't see him fall to the ground.

"I'm so sorry, sorry, sorrysorrysorrysorry!" he chanted without looking at Phaedos.

The Zordonian's green blood spread out around him. As much as she tried, Turelie could not get up to go over to him. Sconnie elves had immobilized her. She could, however, hear him choking and struggling to breathe.

He didn't last long.

:-:-:-: PRGPX :-:-:-:

Ragnar's control room was just as silent and stunned as he was. He was visibly shaken, but he kept calm in the face of the unexpected turn of events. King Earello, on the other hand, "HOW COULD THEY LOSE!?" His young face contorted in anger. "ANSWER ME!"

"We have lost all life-signs—"

"BE QUIET!" Earello ran over to the staffer, interrupted him and grabbed his hair. "I DEMAND to know what is happening, peasant!"

"Your Majesty, get a hold of yourself!" Ragnar shouted in a way that sounded like an order.

"YOU have failed our people, Ragnar!" Earello shouted back. "ALL OF YOU HAVE FAILED! I will have all your heads myself if I have to!"

"Enough of this! Please, Your Majesty, I request that you leave my command center before things go more wrong," said Ragnar. Two guards appeared at his side and gently escorted the King out of the command room. "Order a retreat. You heard me!"

"Yes, sir!" Field Marshal Ingvar replied as he walked up to one of the staffers' work stations where he ordered the retreat. Although, judging from her reaction, Turlie was not pleased. "Teleport is locked on, Commander."

"Get them out of there," said Ragnar. The teleportation officer did his thing, teleporting the elven forces out of Milwaukee. "Now then, we still have a way to achieve victory today. Unleash the weapon!"

The room was silent. That didn't suit well for Ingvar, as he took a key out and jammed it into a control panel, which Ragnar did as well. They slid their ID cards, put in a passcode and turned the keys.

:-:-:-: Power Rangers GPX :-:-:-:

First responders and National Guardsmen were quickly on the scene in minutes to put out the fires still raging in the building and the tank. Phaedos's corpse was hauled off in a military Humvee.

The Rangers themselves (still in their suits but with their helmets off) were given blankets and more food to recharge on. Sean and Maria cuddled together, not saying a word, but sharing occasional kisses on random parts of their face. Ok, Maria occasionally whispered sweet-nothings in his ear, mostly to comfort him after that experience.

Ritchie found his own way to calm himself down. "Any of you guys know Green Bay firefighters?" he asked the off firefighter walking past. One finally answered his question.

"Yeah, met a few at a Packers game a couple years ago," he said, gently dropping his equipment.

"Did you ever meet a guy with the last name Metoxen?"

"Not really," said the Milwaukee firefighter. "Why?"

"Eh, my dad's a Green Bay firefighter," said Ritchie.

"Oh, cool!" said the firefighter. "You wanna follow his footsteps or something?"

"Well, I want to either play in the NHL or be a lawyer," Ritchie replied. "But I'll keep my options open. By the way, are the Brewers still playing tonight?"

"Nah, I think the game's cancelled," said the firefighter.

"Oh, right," said Ritchie. They were probably going to play at Sean's team's—

Something flew over them, blocking out the sun. All activity stopped and they looked up at the object floating over the city towards the east. A robotic, humanoid giant flew to the east. It was made out of some red, ceramic-like material, or some biological material and appeared vaguely gaunt. It landed off the lakeshore and stood up on its bent haunches in a bent posture. The head appeared to be a helmet that came to a point at the top, with barely any lower jaw, but plenty of sharp, dinosaur-like teeth jutting out from the helmet.

The Rangers threw their blankets off, re-donned their helmets and followed it to the lakeshore, finally stopping near the art museum. As much as they wanted to ask, Arquen's confused and stunned expression told them he didn't know what the fuck this thing was, either. But they turned to Hitomi in some hopes she might know.

"It reminds me of _Evangelion_ ," she said. "Or maybe Ghibli's God Warriors."

"Perfect," Sean sighed.

The monster opened its mouth, the long teeth pointing upwards until the barrel of a gun or cannon appeared out of the monster's mouth. The Rangers looked at each other and then back to the monster.

:-:-:-: PRGPX :-:-:-:

"Give them just a taste of our power," Ragnar said to the man remotely controlling the monster.

"Yes, sir," he replied.

:-:-:-: Power Rangers GPX :-:-:-:

Back in Milwaukee, the barrel of the mouth cannon began to glow. Then a terrible beam erupted from the creature's mouth, hitting the buildings to the north, then cutting across to the south and back to the east towards Lake Michigan. Another blast pierced the US Bank Center. Two more blasts swept the south side; the Historic Third District, the famous lakefront, Mitchell Street, all burst into flames. The city erupted in massive, terrible explosions so strong the heat was felt on the cool lakefront. A collective scream erupted from everyone not just still in the city, but the surrounding areas, the entire state of Wisconsin and anyone watching on TV. The Sconnie elves literally could not believe what they were seeing, as they watched with the same horrified expression that anyone watching most certainly wore. The Rangers themselves watched this all unfold in terror; their eyes wide as dinner plates, mouths open, shuddering and making all sorts of sounds as their inability to comprehend the destruction that just took place unfolded.

Alfheim had a terrible weapon. And they were using it.

"HOLY FUCKING SPIRIT JESUS H GODDAMN TAP-DANCING FUCKING CHRIST!" Sean shouted, his fingers lacing through his hair.

"I hope Miller Park's okay!" Ritchie exclaimed.

"Half the city has just been destroyed and you are worried about the baseball stadium!?" Arquen shouted.

" _PAY HEED, HUMANS!_ " Ragnar's voice bellowed from the robot's sound system or something. "BEHOLD, AN ANCIENT WEAPON! CREATED BY THE ZORDONIANS TO SMITE THEIR ENEMIES, BUT A MESSENGER OF GOD DELIVERED THIS TO THE ELVES IN A TIME OF CRISIS. AND WITH THIS AND GOD'S WILL ON THEIR SIDE, SMOTE THE ZORDONIANS AND CHASED THEM INTO THE DEPTHS OF SPACE! NOW GOD'S WILL RETURNS AND HE SHALL SMITE THE ENEMIES OF GOD AND EARTH! DESPAIR, HUMANS! YOUR JUDGEMENT IS AT HAND! WITH THE POWER OF YOUR SO-CALLED 'MORPHING GRID', WE WIELD THE POWER TO CREATE AND TO DESTROY!

"THIS IS BUT A TASTE OF OUR DESTRUCTIVE POWER! BUT THERE _ARE_ MORE WHERE THIS CAME FROM!"

"ARE YOU FUCKING SHITTING ME!?" Sean screamed as several jets flew past, hitting it with their missiles. "WHY DIDN'T WE KNOW ABOUT THESE!? YOU'RE THE HISTORIAN HERE, ARQUEN!"

"I KNOW NOTHING!" Arquen replied. "I WISH I _DID_ KNOW!"

"YOU BASTARDS!" Ritchie shouted. "I TOLD YOU NOT TO FUCK WITH WISCONSIN!"

Another jet flew past; Rob's Silver Bullet zord, firing missiles and a high-strength steel cable that tied the creature up with.

"Thank God for them," said Maria.

They heard and felt a helicopter behind them. The Black Hawk pilot waved them over to board, which they did without question and the pilot took off right as the beast fired its energy beam at them. The scorching heat made them all recoil. More fighters flew past, keeping the creature busy.

As much as they wanted to, they couldn't ask where they were going. But they were going south. And the sight of several brightly-colored objects in the distance let them sigh in relief.

Several minutes passed before they were able to, but when they were finally over Milwaukee Airport, they leapt out of the helicopter and into their zords.

"GT Racer, online!" Sean said as he fell into his cockpit.

"Touring Racer, ready to go!" Kevin said

"Mountain Hauler, engage!" Arquen shouted.

"Haz Runner, roll out!" Maria called.

"Am Chaser, let's go!" Hitomi said.

"Golden Jet, armed and ready!" Ritchie shouted.

"AcceleKeys, ready!" Sean said. He and the other Rangers pulled out their AcceleKeys.

" _READY!_ " The rest shouted. They then jammed the keys in the key slots near the steering wheel and gave them a turn. A series of lights lit up indicating their activation.

"Initiate Grand Prix Megazord docking sequence," Sean said. "NOW!"

Sean pulled out his AcceleKey. "Ready?"

" _Ready!_ " They jammed the keys into the dashboard, turning them and lighting them up.

"Grand Prix Megazord sequence, engage!" The zords moved to the southern runway and began the transformation.

The Touring Racer split up and joined with the Mountain Hauler, forming arms. The front of the Mountain Hauler opened up, allowing it to combine with the Haz Runner and Am Chaser. Then, the tailgate of the Mountain Hauler opened and the GT Racer rolled up onto the truck bed to join with the Hauler. Rockets fired and the whole thing stood up. The head was unveiled with its black visor and mouth-less mouth plate.

After some fiddling around, Ritchie pulled a lever and the Golden Jet broke apart. Part of it combined with the Megazord's boots and the part of the fuselage that includes the nose and wings combined with the back and chest of the Megazord.

" _Golden Grand Prix Megazord, online!_ " they said in the cockpit, inside their Indy Car pods.

They waited for the creature to break free and catch sight of the megazord several miles to the south. They watched as it took flight and approach them. But they couldn't stop it as it destroyed some more area in South Milwaukee. Sean snapped his fingers. Ritchie took a joystick. With a pull of the trigger, he fired a series of missiles at the robot. Every one of them hit the target.

The creature was visibly angry and flew over to them at the airport. Both giants started each other down like it was high noon in Tombstone. The megazord moved first, walking down the runway towards the creature, which also advanced on the megazord. When they finally met in the middle, the monster literally threw the first blow.

The elven zord charged the megazord, which stood its ground. It crashed into the megazord like a defensive lineman crashing into an offensive lineman in an American football game. The megazord then threw the enemy off and gave it a punch right in the muzzle. The enemy staggered back before charging back. This time, the megazord caught it and threw the monster into the tarmac. The zord got up and charged the megazord again, this time landing a blow on the megazord's head. The zord grabbed the megazord, whacking at it with all its might.

"COME ON!" Sean shouted, getting into hot-blooded mode. "THROW IT OFF!"

"Got it!" Maria said. Maria turned the steering wheel again, as the arms of the Megazord threw the BNC off and then wound up its punch and decked the zord;hard. The Rangers cheered in response. The Megazord then kicked the zord in the gut. As the zord doubled over, the Megazord elbowed it in the back, sending it crashing into the ground.

But it was still on the ground when it fired its energy beam at low power. The megazord still erupted in flames and sparks flew. However, the Rangers were able to keep it stable and it retaliated with a mighty punch to the now-back-up monster's teeth. It countered, punching their megazord's head again. The Rangers were nearly thrown around inside the megazord's head. And while they tried to keep their balance, the enemy zord fired another beam attack, this one damaging the right wing.

Ritchie tried to move the joystick in an effort to get the megazord off the ground. But the megazord stayed grounded. "It's no good!" he said right as the enemy crashed into the megazord, sending it crashing to the airport runway.

Again the Rangers were almost thrown about inside the megazord. But they all grit their teeth and stood back up, only for the enemy zord to whack the megazord's chest. It grabbed and dug its claws into the Touring Racer. More sparks erupted from the megazord as it struggled to break free. Another low-power blast from the enemy's zord wreaked havoc, blowing a small hole in the megazord.

The megazord kneed the enemy zord and punched it, just to be sure. When the enemy let go, it punched it back in the mouth.

That invited a counterpunch.

As if to make things worse, it slashed the megazord, the gashes throwing sparks all around.

"NOT GOOD!" Arquen shouted. "We are losing power!"

The enemy zord reached out and grabbed the megazord's arms again. Struggling, the megazord tried to hold it still. But the zord pushed harder and harder, so hard that a bad creaking sound was heard from the zord's knees. Something seemed to break inside the right knee.

"We've lost partial control of the right knee!" Hitomi cried out. "I don't know how much we can stand!"

"STAND FIRM!" Sean ordered. "COME ON, WE CAN DO THIS!"

The enemy zord pushed the megazord lower and lower. The megazord's knees bent to relieve some of the strain and pressure. The Rangers revved their megazord. They broke into hard sweats underneath their helmets. And even worse, the enemy zord opened its mouth and the canon was aimed right at the cockpit.

:-:-:-: PRGPX :-:-:-:

A satisfied grin spread on Ragnar's lips. As much as he wanted them not to celebrate just yet, he let the soldiers get their celebration on early. The soldier at the robot's controls charged the robot's weapons up as if he didn't have a care in the world. He didn't—

"SIR! FIVE OBJECTS APPROACHING FROM THE EAST!"

"What?"

:-:-:-: Power Rangers GPX :-:-:-:

Suddenly, something struck the robot's body and head, sending it crashing to the runway. As the Grand Prix Megazord stood on its injured knee, something came over the radio inside the megazord. " _JETTO, JETTO, JETTOMAN! LET'S GO TOBIDASEEEE! JETTO, JETTO, JETTOMAN! CHOOO-JIN SEN-TAI JEEEEETTOOOOMAAAANNN!"_

"Dude, what the fuck!?" Ritchie asked.

Five jets flew past, shooting the robot again before banking to the right and coming around for another run.

" _WAAAA-HOOOOOO!"_ a voice bellowed in their radios. " _ARE WE BIG FUCKING HEROES OR WHAT!?_ "

Sean's gaping mouth turned into a wide, open-mouth smile and a relieved, happy and all sorts of excited laugh escaped. "IT'S JIMMY!"

" _JIMMY O'CALLAHAN, CANADA, RED HAWK!_ "

" _Amir Mohammed, Tunisa, Black Condor!_ "

" _Dimitri Shevchenko, Ukraine, Yellow Owl!_ "

" _Hae-Young-Li, South Korea and England, Blue Swallow!_ "

" _Angela Martinez, Argentina, White Swan!_ "

" _POWER RANGERS!_ " Jimmy shouted.

" _FIGHTER GROUP!_ " they shouted back.

Wearing the Jetman suits and flying their zords, the Avian Wing Rangers bore down on the enemy, breaking formation as it released another beam attack. The GPX Rangers roared in their megazord. "WHAT THE FUCK TOOK YOU SO LONG, YOU AMAZING SONUVABITCH!?" Sean shouted, unable to make his exhilaration sound angry.

At the same time, three more objects approached from the east. The hooting and hollering inside the Grand Prix Megazord grew even louder as the objects combined into a familiar megazord. " _Choushinsei!_ "

" _FLASHMAN! FLASH KING!"_

" _Are you in need of assistance?_ " Flash Red Jon inquired as the Flash King landed next to the Grand Prix Megazord.

"Never ask that again!" Sean replied.

The Flash King reached out for the GP Megazord. Wires extended from the Flash King's arms and attached to the Grand Prix Megazord at the damaged areas. "We will have you repaired soon," said Jon.

"Thank you so much!" Hitomi replied.

In the meantime, Jimmy had another trick to pull. "Alright, guys! Let's bring 'em together!" He pulled a chip off his wrist and inserted it into the control panel in front of him. The others did the same. "Bird Jet Megazord, engage!"

The Swan and Sparrow Jet Zords turned into boots. The Yellow Owl and Black Condor Zords turned into arms. The Swan and Sparrow connected to the Red Hawk, which had turned into a torso, first. Then the Owl and Condor Zords connected as the head popped out.

"Bird Jet Megazord!" Jimmy shouted.

" _Online!_ " the others finished.

The Bird Jet Megazord landed on the north end of the runway, putting the enemy zord in between it and the Grand Prix Megazord. The Bird Megazord ran forward and punched the robot. It kept the aggressive attacking up, throwing a bunch of punches knocking the enemy robot around. The enemy robot countered, throwing a right hook that knocked the megazord to the side. The Fighter Group Rangers were jostled in their seats, but they stood their ground.

"Just hold him off!" Sean called.

"Easy for you to say!" Jimmy snapped as the enemy robot backhanded the Bird Megazord.

"We will be done soon!" Jon replied.

"Leave this one to me!" Amir declared, pumping his fist and pressing a button on his control console. "SHOT PUNCH!" Pulling the trigger on his console, he launched his own zord's fist at the robot, hitting it several times.

"Jet Lancer!" Jimmy declared again. A weapon like Hitomi's Am Staff materialized in the Jet Megazord's hands and it slashed at the robot a couple of times, throwing more sparks around.

Finally, the Flash Megazord was done with the repairs to the Grand Prix Megazord. They weren't heavy-duty, keep-it-going-for-another-3,000-miles-repairs, but repairs to keep the Megazord from falling apart in the ensuing battle. Both Megazords fist-bumped and went back to give the struggling Jet Megazord the back-up it needed.

"Hey, Jimmy! Triangle offense?"

"That's basketball!" Jimmy replied.

"Who cares!?" Sean replied. "You know what I'm talking about!

"Not really," said Jimmy.

"Just surround him," said Sean.

The three megazords surrounded the enemy robot in a triangle formation. The Flash King went first, stomping up to the robot and socking it where the jaw would be. The robot countered, but the Bird Megazord restrained it so the Flash King could punch it. Flash King gave it a one-two-three combo and shoved it to the waiting Grand Prix Megazord. It punched its palm as if anticipating a chance to get payback and punched the robot's lower jaw.

The robot roared. "Now it's MY turn!" Ritchie said with anticipation, punching his palm. Using the joystick and footpedals, he lifted the Grand Prix Megazord on its foot and back jets. He pushed the throttle. The megazord flew forward and punched the robot in the jaw. He banked the Megazord and turned it around. With Hitomi's help, the made the Megazord kick the robot and sent it sprawling on the runways.

The robot wasn't done just yet, and got back up. The three megazords surrounding it were a problem. Even worse, the Flash King and Grand Prix Megazords grabbed it by the arms and held it in place for the Jet Megazord to wallop it like it a punching bag. The robot collapsed to the ground, but it wasn't done.

"You know what time it is!?" Sean shouted.

" _TIME TO FINISH THIS!_ " his teammates replied.

"Grand Prix Megazord Saber!" he cried. The Megazord saber materialized in front of the Grand Prix Megazord. Not to be outdone, the Flash King got its own sword.

"Winged Saber!" Jimmy cried, as a sword with a winged crossguard materialized in his megazord's hands.

" _Super Cosmo Flash!_ " The Flashman shouted. The Flash King energized its sword and leapt in the air and tumbled towards Nagron. Then the Flash King slashed it.

The Jet Megazord's sword also energized and it flew towards the enemy as well, striking it at the midsection.

" _Turbo Jets, fire!_ " the GPX Rangers shouted. The jets on the back and soles of the GP Megazord's feet fired and lifted the megazord off the ground.

" _GOLDEN GRAND PRIX MEGAZORD STRIKE! GO!_ "The GPX Rangers shouted. The GP Megazord flew at the enemy robot and with a well-timed strike, slashed the robot at the midsection.

" _Checkered Flag!_ " The GPX Rangers shouted.

The three megazords regrouped and watched as the elven weapon erupted in showers of flame and sparks. Then, with a final roar, it fell to the ground and exploded.

:-:-:-: PRGPX :-:-:-:

The operation control room was silent again. Even Turelie, whom before had been screaming at Ragnar, could only watch in shock. At first, Ragnar seemed calm, but he let himself show emotion and he slammed his fist on the console in front of him, nearly breaking some of the very expensive equipment and shouting curses so obscene that they are literally untranslatable. Taking some deep breaths, he finally calmed down, straightened himself out and turned to his visibly-nervous soldiers.

"I apologize for my outburst, but I was not angry with you," he said. "I want you all to know that you have performed your duties honorably and admirably today. I would prefer to have been victorious, but now the humans are aware of the powers we have. You are all granted leave for the weekend. Get some rest and prepare for Elrond's Day." He saluted all of them and stepped out of the control room.

:-:-:-: Power Rangers GPX :-:-:-:

The Power Rangers climbed out of their respective Megazords and onto the tarmac. The GPX Rangers came out of the Am Chaser's cab first. They tried to hold their exhilaration in, but they couldn't help themselves. They threw their helmets off, screaming and cheering as they ran to meet the Flashman and new Fighter Group Rangers. Their hair was slick and messy from all the sweat it was impossible to tell they'd all showered that morning, and their faces were so flushed they could lead Santa's sleigh on a foggy Christmas Eve. But none of that shit mattered.

"JIMMY!" Sean shouted while running to his beloved cousin and meeting the counterpart Red Ranger in a big hug. The rest of them all met in a massive mob like they'd just won the World Series.

The Sconnie elves teleported to the tarmac to be greeted by the celebrations dying down just a little. But Aengus and Finn dropped their blasters, ran towards the Rangers and pushed themselves through the middle of the throng to the GPX Rangers. Aengus opened his mouth, but nothing came out. He gave up after several minutes of trying, instead choosing to hug Sean.

"HEY! LET'S GO HOME AND FUCKIN' PARTY!" Sean finally shouted, with Maria tightly hugging him. The crowd cheered and it gave way to singing the old Power Rangers theme song.

:-:-:-: PRGPX :-:-:-:

Ritchie: "Next time, on _Power Rangers GPX Supercharged_!"

Elf news anchor: " _Our glorious military has been dealt a minor setback_."

Eruvanda: "You cannot defeat him the way you expect to."

Sean: "Help me out, Abe."

Ritchie: "I think we should go."

Arquen: "It is not an easy choice."

Kevin: "You have to decide, Sean."

Elf: "HAIL ALFHEIM AND RAGNAR!"

Ritchie: "That's next time on _Power Rangers GPX Supercharged_!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So how was that!? You guys excited!?
> 
> Sorry it took so long to get this done, but it took me a lot longer than I expected, and with a lot more words, too. I expected to make this 8,000 words, but there was so much I needed to put in here that things got out of hand. I've also been busy at work lately, which has made it harder to get a lot of writing done, plus some other projects.
> 
> Yes, I had been planning on using Choujin Sentai Jetman as the basis for the new Fighter Group Rangers' suits, and the Flash Rangers were also going to show back up. Also sorry for splitting this into two, but I wanted to make it easier for everyone else, since reading 20+ pages of fighting can be a chore. Still, hope you liked it! Please, review! The button's right down there!


	26. The Power Rangers and the Very Eventful Sunday

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sean: "Last time, on Power Rangers GPX Supercharged!"
> 
> Turelie: "Be ready to fire on command."
> 
> (An elf tank blows up the front of the building lobby that the Power Rangers are in, but an Apache helicopter blows that tank up)
> 
> Sean: "HERE'S WHERE WE WIN IT IN THE DYING SECONDS!"
> 
> (The Rangers morph and attack the elves.)
> 
> Phaedos: "YOU, some filthy human, have made my life miserable!"
> 
> (Sean accidentally kills him)
> 
> Ragnar: "Unleash the weapon!"
> 
> (a giant robot attacks Milwaukee, destroying a good chunk of it in fiery mayhem. The Grand Prix Megazord tries to fight it, but it's too powerful. Then, a new new megazord shows up)
> 
> Sean: "IT'S JIMMY!"
> 
> Jimmy: "JIMMY O'CALLAHAN, RED HAWK!"
> 
> (Along with the Flash King, the Rangers defeat the monster, saving Milwaukee, or whatever's left of it)

 

Power Rangers GPX Supercharged, episode 49: The Power Rangers and the Very Eventful Sunday

:-:-:-: We're the best damn chance you've got, Power Rangers GPX, GO! :-:-:-:

" _Our glorious military has been dealt a minor setback at the hands of the loathsome human Power Rangers and treasonous elves,_ " said the elven TV presenter, sounding like the masterful propagandist he was, gleefully flipping reality and facts off, then pissing on it in the vein of others, like an old Soviet "news" reporter. " _But our Great Commander has reassured us that in the case of more human aggression, we will crush them! The Great Commander Ragnar demands that you lay your lives down for the strength of Alfheim!"_ Seated on the couch, Sean, Maria and Ritchie loudly booed. Payton growled and barked to add his doggie voice.

Maria ran her hair through her new pixie cut. "Now they probably know how we Venezuelans feel about _El Presidente Idiota_ ," she said. "You should watch _Aló Presidente_ on YouTube; it's like he's not even trying to hide that he's a fucking clown."

"Are we watching Fox News or RT?" Ritchie asked. "Wait, what?"

" _El Presidente_ ," she said sarcastically, "Has the most bizarre, rambling excuse for a talk show you'll ever see. _El Presidente_ only wishes he were a genius dictator; in fact, he can't even run the government right, much less be a wannabe-autocrat or champion of the poor; he's not, by the way."

"Huh," said Ritchie. "Sounds like Glenn Beck—wait, you guys had to put up with him last year, right?"

"Fuck that guy," said Sean. He remembered the pudgy, delusional, lousy excuse for a TV pundit, who is named "Ben Dreck" in GPX Part II to keep it lawyer-friendly.

A propaganda poster appeared over her shoulder, depicting Ragnar looking off to the right in an apparently "strong" pose over declarative Elvish text none of the Rangers could read, but Arquen and Liz the image made the Rangers break out and laugh.

Kevin wasn't there. He was having lunch with business professor and former chancellor David award, who, being from Manchester, shared Kevin's legitimate and authentic affinity for a certain red-wearing football club from that city. Topics included the team's play, their eventual BPL championship, their chances in the Champions League, and the asshole-who-happened-to-be-American who owned the club.

The Power Rangers' laughter and snarky, MST3K-like attitude towards the propaganda didn't please Arquen or Eruvanda. To be fair, a few lines here and there, like Maria snarking about stretching the truth so thin you could see through it, made them laugh, at least a little bit. Other than that, their concern was visible on their faces.

"You need to recognize the threat they still pose," Arquen finally spoke up.

"Yeah," Sean replied. "And?"

"Ah boy, here we go," said Maria.

"We need to take the threat head-on," said Arquen. "If you think you can do what the Power Rangers of past have done, then you are naïve."

"It's worked before, hasn't it?" Sean asked. The strategy he is discussing is the Power Rangers' usual series-ending tactic of taking the bad guys' last major assault and turning it back with a big counterattack.

"It will not work in real life," said Arquen.

The Red Ranger stubbornly huffed.

"You heard Ragnar! He has more of those giant robots!" Liz added. "The worst part is, he may have enough to level every human city on the planet!"

"Playing defense works in ice hockey, but even then, the effectiveness is limited!" said Arquen. "You have to _score_ in order to win, correct? Defense wins championships, but offense is the best defense!"

"My _idea_ was to have you two lead the students in their revolution!" Sean snapped.

"A good plan," said Eruvanda. "I actually have… very few objections with it. I suppose I misunderstood you."

"I wish it were that simple," said Arquen. "Obviously you are taking the Wisconsin elves into consideration, with them as the students' guards. But Alfheim's military is much larger than the small band we are allied with. Not only that, but Ragnar could use the student revolution to solidify his hold on power, assuming he does not escape."

"I assume you recognize the possibilities, correct?" Liz asked. "You cannot defeat him the way you expect to."

"Is it bad that I think Sean and the elves have good points?" Ritchie asked. Maria hushed him. She did this while fiddling with a sheathed throwing knife, an action that visibly made him nervous.

"But you're going to retake the palace, right?" Sean had stood up and walked over to them by now. And he was still visibly determined to argue his point.

"Again, another good point," said Liz. "Except that Ragnar can still escape."

"But it's just not right!" Sean insisted.

Liz softly chuckled, smiled, took his hand and then hugged him. Neither of their significant others particularly seemed to care. "Your intentions are good," she said. "But from a fellow leader to another, and I although I assume you have already come to this conclusion, all leaders must make difficult choices."

"Gee, thanks," he said sarcastically.

"Sarcasm is not necessary," said Liz. "I meant it."

Instead of agreeing, Sean sighed and rubbed his hair. He gestured to Payton, the beagle jumped off the couch and Sean hooked the leash to his collar before taking the dog outside.

"Let him be," said Liz. "This is undoubtedly hard for him. Let him think."

:-:-:-: PRGPX :-:-:-:

Ragnar had a meeting with some lawmakers. Túrelie waited outside his office. Her arms were tightly crossed and her hands were buried into her armpits. She tapped her right foot at increasing speed, drawing attention from other passing-by personnel. She met their stares with glares of her own to scare them off.

But her focus turned back to Ragnar.

Tirna leaned their ear against the door. "Ugh, an MP," they whispered. "They want him to stop his campaign. If he wants to fee him to the Power Rangers, he will have some difficulty."

"The MP will be dealt with," said Túrelie. "It is Ragnar that I have an issue."

"Are you sure?" Tirna asked.

"Positive," Túrelie replied.

"Your funeral," said Tirna.

"When did you start using human idioms?" Túrelie said under her breath.

Their conversation distracted them as they didn't notice when Ragnar stepped out of the room, covering his ears against the MPs' protests. He snapped his fingers and two Suitroops pointed their weapons at them. The door closed before two flashes of light lit up the glass in the door. "Apologies for that," he said. "Just two rabble-rousing rapscallions telling me that our Crusade is somehow wrong and against God's Will. Túrelie, what is wrong?"

"A lot is wrong," she replied. "Why did Phaedos not receive a funeral?"

"Am I to reveal that we are working with Zordonians?" Ragnar asked, causing Tirna to flinch.

"Commander, that is not it," Túrelie said after calming herself down. "Whether Phaedos deserved a burial with honors is not my concern. My concern is how you have seemingly discarded him after—"

"He served his purpose!" Ragnar interrupted. "And the field test was successful, in spite of his death."

"What purpose!?" Tirna snapped. "Was he just another pawn in your plot!?" Túrelie was the only person even more surprised than Ragnar at the outburst.

But Ragnar scoffed and walked away, but Tirna and Túrelie followed. "Commander, he may have been a vile being, but he deserved at least some respect for taking the Rangers to their limit and contributing to our Holy Crusade! And he may have been motivated by revenge, but he—"

"Were you in love with him, Túrelie?" Ragnar interrupted. Now it was Tirna's turn to look at Túrelie with a gaped mouth and wide eyes, while Túrelie froze in place. Biting her lips and looking down, she gathered her courage.

"Perhaps I was," she said. "But I am not proud of it at all."

"I expected better from you, Túrelie," said Ragnar. "Such a thing is unprofessional. Not only that, as a fellow member of the Feanor Brotherhood, you know that romantic relationships are discouraged."

"I already said I was not proud of it at all," she said.

"You admit your mistakes," said Ragnar. "It is a truly admirable attribute, one that will serve you will in your life. Take some time off so that you may regain your composure. We have enough time before Elrond's Day to prepare Operation Ragnarok. You are dismissed."

"What about Elrond's other swords and weaponry?" Túrelie asked. "I assumed I—"

"Tiris will watch over them," said Ragnar. "I trust him enough. After all, we only need to display one sword at the parade."

:-:-:-: Power Rangers GPX :-:-:-:

Sean trudged his way up Bascom Hill, ignoring the stressed and relieved students that passed him by up to the top. There, he waited until some students finished posing for photos and then walked up to the foot of the statue. He looked up into the face of the man that made Illinois, their shared home state, famous all around the world.

As his eyes met Abe's, uncertainty, doubt and confusion crossed his expression. He stuff his hands into his jeans pocket to hide his shaking hands. He gulped. "Help me out, Abe," he whispered, "As one great leader and Illinoisan. Goddammit, I know you attacked the South, but you didn't have a choice. Ah, fuck. Look at me. I'm talking to a fucking statue."

He rubbed his face until it hurt. Several people walked past, either ignoring him or telling him "Get out of the fucking way, asshole!" and other bad words. He ignored them, in turn. Payton didn't. His job was to growl at them.

He was so affixed on his inner struggle and the Abe statue that he didn't see Maria, Liz and John, aka Flash Red, walk up behind him.

"Who is that?" John asked, startling him and making him reflexively reach for a weapon before he found out who it was.

"Don't startle me," he first muttered. "Whatever. He's only one of the best US Presidents-slash-Illinois residents-slash-Americans-slash-human beings whom ever lived, _period_."

"So he was important," said Liz.

"Understatement of the century," Sean replied.

"You needed Abe's help or something?" Maria asked while she snuggled up to him, her soft clothing helping him to relax.

"WWAD?" Sean asked. "What would Abe do?"

"He went to war," said Liz.

"I know," he replied. "Can you quit the lobbying for a minute?"

"Apologies," she said.

"When IS Elrond's Day, anyways?" Maria asked.

"Our date for it is different from your human Gregorian calendar's," said Liz. "It is May 22nd."

"Oh, so we have some time," said Sean. "That date sounds familiar, actua—that's the day we first morphed!"

"You're shitting me!" Maria replied.

"How did you know?" Arquen asked.

"That was two weeks after I finished the spring semester at NIU last year!"

"Figures they did it to accommodate you!" Maria scoffed.

"Yes, but it's also the day after the day we met," Sean replied. Her annoyed glare turned into a kinda-happy smile, allowing him to kiss her right cheek.

"You're lucky that was a genuinely sweet thing to say," said Maria. "By the way, what did you say to Phaedos that made him go _loco_?"

Sean shrugged. "Not much. Just said I was an Irish kid from Chicago's South Side."

"You _have_ changed," she said and now it was her turn to kiss his left cheek. "Are you alright? You looked like you were about to fall apart after we got back from Milwaukee."

"I'll never be used to killing," he admitted. "I wanted to kill Phaedos, but… actually doing it felt..."

"Indescribably bad?" Arquen asked.

"I guess," said Sean. "Do we need dumb exposition speeches, by the way?"

"I think the rest of us can help figure it out," said Maria. "I think we should vote on it as a team."

"Oh! Well, now that you put it that way, as Green Ranger, I vote in favor of going!" said Arquen.

"Hold the tanks, Patton!" said Sean.

"Who?"

"… Forget it," said Sean. "By the way, where the fuck IS Alfheim?"

"I am not positive, but the area surrounding it is mountainous and remote," said Arquen.

"Great, even they don't know where it is," said Maria. "Are we in some bad fanfic where the author's obviously making it up as he goes?" Now that's just mean, Maria.

"I think he's lying," said Sean. "He knows. Don't you, Arquen?" he glared daggers at the Elven general.

"You caught me," he said. "At the moment, I cannot divulge that information. Habit, I suppose."

"Well, what do you intend to do?" Sean asked. "Tell Ragnar what he's doing is wrong?"

"His intentions, however twisted, are, deep down, good," said Liz. "But, I have no doubt that he has gone so far off the… how do you say… 'deep end', that his intentions no longer matter, but his actions do. And He is so far gone that his heart has grown so dark he seems to be unable to understand why you, of all people, are willing to put your lives at risk to stop him, especially if you have to come to him. But, since I have seen all seven of your rise above and beyond every single challenge, I have no doubt you can be the ones to stop him.

"If we are to truly stop him, then we must emphasize that our way—cooperation between elves and humans will lead not only to peace, but to the end of climate change and our planet's place among the intergalactic community as a haven for science and technology, as well as other things I cannot think of off the top of my head—is the right way, instead of the unnecessary destruction of humanity.

"So, in a sense, yes," she finished.

"I like the message," said Sean. "By the way, Maria, today's our cheat day, isn't it?"

"Yep," she replied.

"Nice," said Sean. "I want a cheeseburger."

:-:-:-: PRGPX :-:-:-:

They returned 15 minutes later to get everyone ready to go. Sean tossed Payton's leash aside in the living room. Then he walked out of the living room and into the kitchen.

Ritchie was talking to the visiting Gina. Sean couldn't hear the conversation as he walked past them, but the mention of Germans interested him. He sat down next to Gina at the island and listened in.

"… So I ask these German guys, 'what are you doing at a pow-wow?' and they say, 'Because we are fans of ze Apache!' and I'm like, 'uh, THAT tribe's from Texas. What are you doing in Green Bay?' and they say, 've are fans of Vinnetou, and—'"

"Who's Winnetou?" Gina asked.

"That's what I asked!" Ritchie replied. "In fact, I was just getting to that. Apparently, he's like a super-popular character over in Germany, the star of an entire book and movie franchise. Apparently the Kaizer and you-know-who were big fans." Gina grimaced instantly.

"They mentioned him in Inglorious Basterds," said Ritchie. "Tarantino movie."

"My dad doesn't let me watch those movies," said Gina.

"Well he's not here," said Ritchie. "So we can—"

"Not tonight," Sean interrupted as he took a protein shake from the fridge. "Today's our cheat day, and we're going out."

"State Street Brats!" Ritchie instantly exclaimed.

"I'll run that by the others," said Sean. "Especially when Kevin and Hitomi get back from meeting with Prof. Ward.

"Oh, that reminds me!" Ritchie said while snapping his fingers. "You know Tammy Baldwin, Gina?"

"She's our Congresswoman," Gina proudly replied.

"She's also gay," said Ritchie.

"I didn't know that!" Gina said. "But what does that mean?"

"You two already have something in common," said Ritchie. "Start with that, and then you can get to your elf rights thing."

"I didn't think about it that way," said Sean. "Hell, she can bring Liz so she can get to see her easier!"

:-:-:-: Power Rangers GPX :-:-:-:

State Street Brats is a Madison institution, describing itself as a "traditional Wisconsin restaurant", meaning it serves bratwurst. It's the kind of gastric treat that can wreak havoc on your cardiovascular system if you consume too much. Basically, it's great sometimes food, but not always food. No wonder Americans are having obesity and other numerous health problems.

But as they say on "Parks and Rec", it's okay to occasionally "treat yo'self", and that's a cheat day, and the place is arguably one of the most famous eateries in a city known for a few culinary legends itself. Helping the place is its location right across from campus, literally at the start of State Street, and a favorite spot among locals and Badger fans.

The group went to SSB around about 5:14 PM that evening, hoping for a nice, quiet, for lack of a better term, dinner. The group took their seats at a table in the middle of the floor—actually two tables because of the group size—and got their menus. For reference, Sean sat in the middle, leaning on his elbows and deep in thought, but it all looked like some facsimile of da Vinci's "Last Supper".

But, they could barely hear themselves think over the Friday-night din, and it worked to their advantage. They conversed aloud.

One of the closer TVs had the news on. Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett was holding a press conference talking about rebuilding the parts of the city destroyed in the Battle of Milwaukee, as it's now being called, according to the delayed captions. The US Bank Center, penetrated by a blast from the God Robot Thing, had collapsed.

Thankfully no one was inside.

But Mayor Barrett, who was Douchebag Walker's opponent in the gubernatorial election, also talked about hiring union labor to help rebuild the city. Also helping, half of the city's 96.8 mi² area was destroyed, either by the robot's killer beam or subsequent fires the MFD put out. Unfortunately, thousands of people were dead or injured. And half the city was still destroyed. It's still bad.

"Fuckin' elves!" Someone nearby shouted. "Fuckin' kill 'em all!"

"Fuuuck," Sean breathed. "See, this is kind of why I don't _want_ to attack Alfheim. Besides; it's just us. Who's going to defend the city?"

"Sean," Kevin said, leaning over the table towards Sean and holding three fingers up, "There are _three_ active Power Ranger teams. There are thousands of Project Ranger trainees all over the globe. The UN is working on contacting as many as possible. We can go into Alfheim and Power Rangers will _still_ stop Ragnar."

"Admittedly, it is not an easy choice," said Arquen.

"But you have to decide, Sean," Kevin continued.

"You sound so confident," said Sean.

"I don't like anything here," said Maria, to everyone else's visible surprise.

"You have any other ideas?" Sean asked.

"No," said Maria. "But we haven't ordered anything, so we won't get in trouble if we just leave."

Sean sighed, then looked over the menu again. "You know what? Fine. Let's get out of here," he said. "Feels like every single day's been repetitive, anyway. Goddamn, whomever's writing this is getting bad. Knowing how this shit happens, someone's gonna pop through that door."

They didn't get a chance to leave.

Five individuals broke into the restaurant, with guns literally blazing. The restaurant erupted in screams and chaos. Patrons ducked under the tables. The attackers rushed in, pointing their guns in every direction at panicking customers and running to the kitchen. Returning with the frightened kitchen staff, they forced them into the middle of the restaurant floor, then fanned out, pointing their guns at the patrons, forcing them under the tables.

"You people have been chosen!" the leader declared, "To reveal our existence to the world!" he removed his balaclava, not just revealing his face, but his pointed elf-ears. The restaurant gasped. "We of the Elf Liberation Front have chosen this den of human excess because we know the Power Rangers will come for us and expose themselves as the hypocrites they are!" The real Power Rangers cringed, and not only in reaction to the really bad acronym.

"But we are also here to send a message," said their spokes-leader. "We tire of our kind's mistreatment at human hands, and we declare that this will not continue! Hail Ragnar and Alfheim!"

"Yeah, like this is going to work," Arquen muttered.

"We gotta get everyone out of here," said Sean. "You know, like REAL heroes do?"

"Do you think we're not real heroes or something!?" Ritchie hissed.

"YOU BE QUIET!" the spokes-leader shouted at Ritchie. Ritchie groaned and backed under the table.

The spokes-leader walked over to them. "Hi," said Ritchie. "Can you let us go?"

"No," the spokes-leader bluntly replied.

"Do you honestly believe that this is going to work?" Liz asked. "We want peace, not war."

"The humans had their chance," said the spokes-leader. "Now we want revenge."

"And then the humans are just going to respond. And you will respond. And it'll keep on going like the Energizer Bunny. It's gotta stop," said Sean.

"FUCK YOU, ELVES!" a balding man shouted, much to his companions' dismay. "You're gonna pay for this!"

"See what I mean?" Sean asked. "I don't think you thought this through."

The spokes-leader huffed and walked away. Sean turned to the others. "Is there a fire exit?"

"Probably in the back," said Ritchie. "There's also an exit on the side that goes to the patio."

"You have been here before," said Eruvanda.

"You know, this situation kinda does make me want to go on offense," said Sean. "Have we even affected—"

"WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT!?" the spokes-leader demanded, stomped over to their table, grabbed Sean and lifted him up by his hoodie collar.

 _Why the hell do they always have to lift me up like this!?_ He thought. "Nothing, sir!" he said aloud. "I'll be a good hostage! See? Stockholm Syndrome's already setting in!" The elf dropped him to the ground and he crawled away, back to his table.

"Okay, so we gotta get these people outta here," Sean continued.

"I think these guys have seen _Pulp—_ "

"Focus, Metoxen!" Kevin whispered. "We'll need a distraction."

"The Queen?" Sean asked.

"Not this time," said Liz. "Someone else should do it."

"Who?" Sean asked. They were quiet a moment. Then everyone turned their heads to Gina—yes, she was there—and it took a moment for her to process that they were looking at her.

"Me?" she asked bewilderedly.

"Makes sense," said Maria.

"You can do it, sweetie!" said Hitomi.

"Just give us time," Sean said as he pressed a button on his Morpher.

Gina didn't get a chance to object, finding herself standing in the middle of the floor not three seconds later. Looking behind her, she saw the Power Rangers give her the thumbs-up sign before they separated to help get people out. _For crying out loud_ , she thought, and turned back to the Liberation Front. Knowing that they would see the Rangers trying to get everyone out, she quietly moved around them, trying and hoping to not be seen. It worked out better than she hoped, and she was in front of the entrance before she knew it.

Now came the moment of truth. She cleared her throat. Quietly, at first, which didn't get their attention. She did it again a bit louder this time, actually getting their attention. And they looked at her like she was a germ.

"Who are you?" asked the leader.

"Um, hi," she said sheepishly. "I'm Gina, and as you can see, I'm an elf." She turned her head to point at her pointed ear. The customers, who had yet to be fully evacuated, gasped.

"Excellent!" said the leader. "We have extra weapons! Come and join us!"

"Uh, no, someone already tried that on me," Gina replied. "I was just hoping that you could, you know, stop?"

The hostage-takers stared at her for a couple of seconds before breaking out in derisive laughter. "And who are you to tell us what to do?" their leader asked. "Go home!"

"I can't! You're threatening everyone here," she replied.

"You can go," said the leader. "These humans need to be taught a lesson."

"I don't think that's a good idea," said Gina. "Have you heard of the cycle of violence? You—"

"That stupid human already tried to lecture us on it," said the spokes-leader. "Try something else."

"But you're not helping your cause," said Gina. "You've had to put up with mistreatment, haven't you?"

"What do you know about mistreatment, girl?" he asked.

"Well for one, I have a human girlfriend—" The terrorist elves all groaned.

"Get out of here, you Dobby House-elf!" the spokes-leader shouted.

"Dobby? House-elf?" Gina asked herself. Confusion quickly turned to rage. She grit her teeth and clenched her fists. "DID YOU EVEN READ THE FUCKING BOOKS!?" she shouted.

In another part of the restaurant, Sean and Kevin stopped in their tracks to look at Gina. Having also heard this, Hitomi paused to fawn over her girlfriend, and Sean and Kevin rolled their eyes at her.

"Okay, first off, Dobby rebelled against his master," Gina ranted. "Second, house-elves hated being mistreated, you stupid motherfucker! And do you even know what I've been through? I've been called every name in the book, frat boys have asked me why they didn't get their XBOX, my own classmates don't trust me, I'm also a lesbian—try being an elf AND a lesbian—and I'm going to graduate soon, and I'm trying to speak up for my rights, WHO THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU ARE!?"

The terrorist elves stared at her, wide-eyed and mouthed. Behind them, the Rangers continued to evacuate the patrons, leading them out through the door on the building's east side, leading out to the porch. The remaining patrons, who'd yet to be evacuated, also stared at her, before someone started clapping. That clapping spread quickly, taking over the entire restaurant.

The terrorist elves all looked around, bewildered by the clapping. At first. Then, they noticed not only that a lot of patrons were missing, but the Power Rangers, unmorphed and incognito, were helping them out. "YOU TRICKED US!" the spokes-leader shouted, spinning around to face Gina again.

"Oh, shit!" Sean hissed.

"What are you talking about?" Gina denied, sweating and her heart pounding faster than a Slayer song.

"You lied to us!" the enraged elf shouted, grabbing her collar.

"She told the truth!" his obvious second-in-command disagreed. "But she did deceive us."

"Which, if you read _The Art of War_ , is what war is all about," said Gina.

"Enough talk," said the spokes-leader. "We will make an example of these humans. KILL THEM ALL!"

Shreiks and screams escaped most of the remaining patrons as the elves turned their weapons on them. Frantically, Gina grabbed the spokes-leader's trigger arm and tried to pull him away. "Wait! STOP!" she shouted. She desperately pulled at the spokes-leader, trying to get him away from everyone.

In the middle of all this, Kevin, Sean and Ritchie saw a small window of opportunity with the elves distracted. As they tried to get Gina off their spokes-leader, the three gang-rushed the terrorists and tackled them. Unwilling to get shot for something so utterly _stupid_ , they got off the terrorists and ran to find cover. The spokes-leader angrily pointed his gun at him and was about ready to fire.

But a red-gloved hand punching his cheek stopped him. The Flash Rangers stormed the restaurant, apprehending the elves.

Sean sighed a deep sigh of relief. "What the fuck took them so long?" he asked himself.

:-:-:-: PRGPX :-:-:-:

"We were staying in the area on invite from some friends," Jon, the Red Flash Ranger answered the reporters. "We knew about the incident when we received a message about the situation."

Police and other first responders gathered outside the restaurant, talking to everyone who'd been inside, and cordoned off the building. Reporters interviewing witnesses were also there, but they weren't getting as far as the police were. Still, there was an overarching sense of relief that he ordeal was over.

Sitting on the back on an ambulance wearing a blanket draped over his shoulders for the second time in as many weeks, Ritchie munched on a bratwurst the cooks had whipped up as a 'thank you' for that rather stupid attempt at heroism. "My dad says 'don't be a hero'," he said through a mouthful. "I guess I've disobeyed him one too many times."

"And what's he gonna do?" Sean asked, chewing on his cheeseburger.

"Chew me out like I'm doing with my brat," Ritchie laughed.

"I wish there was a way for me to tell you how stupid you three were," Maria said, watching Gina sheepishly being interviewed by a reporter. "But, I wouldn't have fallen in love with Sean if I hated it."

"Yeah, I'm stupid," he said. "But you love me, anyway. And as I was saying, I'm tired of not being able to affect the plot."

"What's he talking about?" Maria asked as her boyfriend took his iPhone out of his pocket.

"I think he's gone insane," said Kevin.

Sean didn't answer, but let out a muted chuckle. But he was busy reading a text from Col. Greene telling him that there were a couple surprises waiting for them when they got back home.

:-:-:-: Power Rangers GPX :-:-:-:

The cloaked figure walked up to the security door, removed a device from their pocket and pointed it at the security pad next to the door. The red light turned green and a gloved hand pulled the door open. The figure walked through the darkened room, turning their head to ensure no one was around them. Numerous weapons lined the walls, collecting dust, rust or something else behind a powerful force field. But the figure kept walking past, ignoring those historical weapons, in favor of the door at the end of the hall, padded up with several locks.

These were all historical weapons used by great Elven warriors and kings. The swords of Feanor, Glorfindel and Fingolfin proudly hung, their days in battle long past, having last been used against their enemies thousands or hundreds of years ago, before most of the known Elven kingdoms united under a single monarch. These swords were nigh-holy in a secular nature, forbidden from being displayed in museums, lest their importance, or the pride of the Royal Family, of which this collection was under the protection of, be diminished. Simple objects and tools made up the museum catalogs, but a few of these weapons saw the light of day only, if only on orders from the Royal Family, usually for a short time. And most of the Royal artifacts allowed to be displayed were, once again, simple objects used by long-gone Kings.

You may also be assuming that John Ronald Reuel Tolkien himself was inspired by these elves. He wasn't. The only thing even close to inspiration were the language, which he made up on his own, and the names. Indeed, the real Elrond had nothing to do with Rivendell's ruler. There _is_ such a thing as coincidence, after all. The history of the elves goes back well over 10,000 years ago—SHOT

The figure pushed some buttons on the keypad next to the door. The locks unlocked in sequence until three green lights lit up. The door opened and the figure carefully stepped inside the vault.

They ignored the other weapons hanging around until they reached two in particular. Both swords were broken in two pieces, and resembled swords from Tolkien's movies that will be mentioned later. Carefully, the figure reached inside his cloak and moved for the closest sword. They were once used by a famous warrior queen and her husband. The figure paused momentarily, but continued on, not hearing anything else. Then the figure took the second, shattered sword. Then, they replaced the items with incredibly realistic replicas.

After that, the figure closed the case, picked it up and walked out of the room. There were no alarms, buzzers or security robots coming towards them. Within a few minutes, they were finally outside of the museum, and with no one else in sight, Tiris took his hood off.

"You owe me for this, Arquen," he said to himself.

:-:-:-: PRGPX :-:-:-:

The surprise was photos of a compound somewhere in an isolated spot in the Utah desert. Delivered by Project Ranger staffers, they were spread out all over the kitchen and living room for the tired Rangers to study. Although they weren't crazy about it at the moment.

Sean lay on the couch, AJ on his chest, examining a series of photographs and a Tweet Dwayne Johnson wrote earlier in the day, talking about something. Ritchie sat on the foot of the couch, Kevin in a nice armchair and Maria at the end of the couch. Even worse was having to listen to Donald Trump yammering on and on about bullshit on CNN, insisting he wasn't a birther despite the rather obvious facts that he was.

"Goddammit, will someone please stuff a fucking ballgag in that jagov's mouth?" Sean asked aloud.

"I want to run for President just to see what the racists will do," said Ritchie. "I'm positive this is the same kind of robot we dealt with in Milwaukee." He held a photo up to Sean's face. A skeletal robot could be seen kinda-sorta blending into the ground's dirt, but stood out just enough to still be visible in the photo.

The compound itself looked like it had been there for a while, at least a couple months, and spread out about the size of a small airport, like Dane County Airport. There were 5 large hangars, two smaller ones, a series of buildings lined up in a grid next to the makeshift runway, and other, smaller buildings off to the west. Most of the photographs were taking either by spy satellites, drones or planes. And yes, it was in the middle of bumfuck nowhere Utah, perhaps a hundred or so miles from the nearest human town.

"Where's Gina?" Maria asked.

"Probably getting an earful from her dad," said Sean. "He's probably like, 'I told you not to do something so stupid!' or something like that."

"Why do your 24-hour newscasts have to be so repetitive?" Kevin asked.

"Gotta fill the 24 hours," Sean replied. "I asked one of my teachers about that."

"Well, all they're talking about is terrorism," said Kevin.

"The fuck are you talking about?" Sean asked. "That's like half the news cycle."

"Breaking News, President Obama statement soon," Kevin read off the screen.

"Oookaaaayyy," Sean said, looking at the TV screen and his iPhone Twitter app.

They all ignored the newscast for the next couple minutes. It was all the same repetitive nonsense they talked about that 24-hour news networks like to use to fill their airtime up. But Wolf Blitzer, as boring as he was, seemed a little coy about the situation, until some muppet appeared on screen announcing, " _CNN was told by several sources now that the President of the United States will announce in just moments that the United States has the body of Osama Bin Laden.._ "

Upon hearing that name, Sean and Ritchie looked at the TV, their eyes wide. They looked at each other, then back to the screen as the muppet that the government believed it had Osama Bin Laden's corpse.

"You gotta be kidding me," said Sean. Then he went back to his phone and checked his text messages. Then he went back to the Twitter app to look at The Rock's Tweet.

"Bin Laden?" Kevin asked.

"Holy shit!" Sean said, almost unable to contain the relief and laughter breaking out.

"He's lying," Ritchie said. He too seemed too happy to believe what was going on.

Now glued to the TV, although Sean had to move AJ because he accidentally jostled the poor dog off his stomach, the Rangers watched as word came in, confirming that the second-most dangerous person on the planet besides Ragnar was in fact, dead. You might assume—and you would be justified in assuming so—that Ritchie didn't think 9/11 was that big a deal because it was a "white person's tragedy, but,"

"My dad went to Ground Zero after 9/11," he said, holding back tears, "He said it was the most amazing thing ever. He was so proud." Maria patted his back.

As the details of the raid came in, Sean looked at the photographs Col. Greene had left them. He thought, and an idea started to form in his brain. A good idea, judging by his expression. But he temporarily kept it to himself to let the moment sink in. He turned back as Ritchie called his firefighter dad. Sean texted his police officer dad. And pretty soon, a very excited Rob also called.

It wasn't until after 10:00 Central that President Obama walked up to the podium in the East Room of the White House to make the historic announcement.

" _Good evening. Tonight, I can report to the American people and to the world that the United States has conducted an operation that killed Osama bin Laden, the leader of al-Qaeda, and a terrorist who was responsible for the murder of thousands of innocent men, women, and children …_ "

Now that the announcement had officially been made, the Rangers reacted the way you would expect, by cheering and hollering. It was loud enough for Arquen and Eruvanda to come into the TV room, but the meaning of the whole thing had to be pointed out for them.

"By the way, this has given me an idea," said Sean. "You know how I wasn't happy that we really haven't affected the plot?"

"And how I think you might be going insane, so please get some help, _precioso_?" Maria replied

"Does this mean we're going to Alfheim?" Kevin asked.

"Not yet," said Sean. "But we should get those North Woods elves on the line. We're going on offense!"

:-:-:-: Power Rangers GPX :-:-:-:

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kevin: "Next time on Power Ramgers GPX Supercharged!"
> 
> Maria: "Approaching target!"
> 
> Elf Major: "GET TO YOUR POSTS!"
> 
> Arquen: "Where can we find information?"
> 
> Prisoner: "Help us!"
> 
> Sean: "Fuck you!"
> 
> Col. Greene: "We have some new intelligence for you."
> 
> Sean: "Alright, listen up…"
> 
> Kevin: "That's next time, on Power Rangers GPX Supercharged!"
> 
> Hello, everyone! I really want to apologize for how long this took me to write, nearly a year. I wish I could've gotten it done faster, but writer's block is a bitch. Plus, I had some issues with how the story was being presented for the most part. There were a lot of things that I've wanted to do, after all. I was worried that I wasn't showing the Rangers actually saving people like they should overall, and I felt like they were simply guest stars in their own story. And the massive battle sequence that was "The Battle of Milwaukee" took a lot out of me.
> 
> Such is the curse of being a writer.
> 
> Anyway, the death of Bin Laden was supposed to be mentioned in the story at some point, and I had a hard time figuring out where to put it. I thought he would be a good idea, since it would motivate the Rangers to take matters into their own hands.
> 
> So tell me what you think! The review button is right down there!


	27. The Nevada Base

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Arquen: "Previously, on Power Rangers GPX Supercharged!"
> 
> Arquen: "You need to recognize the threat they still pose."
> 
> Liz: "You heard Ragnar! He has more of those giant robots!"
> 
> Sean: "My idea was to have you two lead the students in their revolution!"
> 
> Ragnar: "The field test was successful, in spite of his [Phaedos] death."
> 
> Turelie: "Was he just another pawn in your plot!?"
> 
> Sean: "I'll never be used to killing."
> 
> Elf terrorist: "You people have been chosen to reveal our existence to the world!"
> 
> Gina: "I was just hoping that you could, you know, stop?"
> 
> Ritchie: (Looking at a photo) "I'm positive this is the same kind of robot we dealt with in Milwaukee."
> 
> Sean: "We're going on offense!"

 

Power Rangers GPX, episode 50: The Nevada base

:-:-:-: We're the best damn chance you've got, Pow-wer Rang-gers G-P-X, let's go! :-:-:-:

Materializing out of teleportation thanks to North Woods elves technology, the Grand Prix Zords roared into the remote Nevada desert, bearing down on an Alfheim military compound. Energy blasts whizzed past them, occasionally striking the Zords, but the cars' size meant that the blasts bounced off them like rocks bouncing off a steel wall. They weren't all lined up five-wide, for that would obviously leave them with a big target right in front of them. Up above, the Golden Jet flew low and slow to stay close to the others.

As sarcastic as he's been, Sean is still hot-blooded. And he showed that as they bared down on their target by manically laughing like when Ace Ventura took a monster truck on an African joyride, blasting the Beastie Boys' "Sabotage". "TRY AND STOP US, YOU FUCKERS!" he cackled. "COME ON OUT AND FIGHT, YOU FASCIST FUCKS!"

"Oh god, get him in a Zord and he turns into a nutter," Kevin sighed. "Sean! Calm down!"

"Hey, who's the leader here!?" Sean replied back.

"I  _am_ more experienced than you," Kevin corrected.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," said Sean. "Alright, boys, slow down up here. We don't want to overrun the target!"

" _Roger that!_ " everyone else replied.

The zords slowed down a touch, opening them up for more fire. Unhappy with getting hit, Sean flipped a switch in the cabin that activated an HUD on the windshield that tracked incoming shots. Now he weaved in and out of the line of fire. The others followed suit and they soon started weaving through the shooting. Now there was little left stopping the Rangers from bearing down on the elven base.

"Approaching target!" Maria announced.

Suddenly a powerful blast erupted from the base. The Zords fanned out to evade the energy beam, and the Golden Jet had to bank to the side. The blast struck a ridge behind them. "JESUS CHRIST!" Sean shouted. His HUD zoomed in on the weapon that fired the blast. "Oh shit, they have one of those robots from Milwaukee!" he said.

" _It's only half-done!_ " Kevin replied.

"Then light it up, Metoxen!" Sean ordered.

" _You got it! Take this!_ " The Golden Jet launched two of its missiles. However, the firing momentarily ceased and the two missiles crashed into an energy barrier, seeming to explode in mid-air against an invisible wall. Even worse, the base vanished from view. Ritchie hissed like a cat and a snake going at it. " _I forgot about the damn barrier!_ " Sean growled too. It didn't take a military genius the likes of George Patton or Ulysses Grant to recognize that all the elves needed to do was keep the barrier up to keep the Rangers out.

"We gotta get through that goddamn barrier!" Sean declared.

Ritchie zoomed past everyone else, banked a turn around the spot where the elf base had been, and back. While they surely didn't expect much, the other Rangers couldn't hide their disappointment when Ritchie came back with a big fat zero as they came to a stop a few miles from the base's last known location. Immediately they started thinking of ideas.

"We could pretend to surrender," Maria suggested.

"They would never believe it," Arquen shot her down like when Ralph Parker's mom no-no's the Red Rider BB Gun. "Insisting you will never surrender for months has that effect."

"Forget it, let's try it the old-fashioned way," said Sean. He flipped a couple switches on his dashboard. "LISTEN UP, YOU POINTY-EARED SONS-O'BITCHES!" he shouted, a speaker broadcasting his threat. "TAKE THAT SHIELD DOWN AND FIGHT US LIKE YOU FUCKING MEAN IT OR WE'LL COME IN AND TAKE YOUR EARS AND SHOVE 'EM UP YOUR HELM'S DEEPS!"

"YOU HEARD MY BOYFRIEND!" Maria loudly added. "YOU'D BE LESS OF A MALE IF I RIPPED YOUR FUCKING  _PIPE_  OFF, YOU COÑOS DE MADRES AND EAT MY  _PAPITA_!"

Apparently insulting a male's manhood is universal, as the base re-appeared as if manifesting out of thin air in some old pre-Dragonlance fantasy. And the firing resumed in earnest.

"NOW'S OUR CHANCE!  _ALLONS-Y_!" Sean shouted, shifting gears back into drive and gunning the accelerator pedal. The others did the same. Ritchie pushed down on the Golden Jet's throttle, flying over the base and launching a missile at the recharging God Monster robot. The half-finished nightmare exploded into pieces as the missile hit. As the base's defenders tried to put the fire out, he tried to find where the shield ended, for lack of a better term.

"Hey, 'Quen!" he said, "What happens if we get something in the way of the shield?"

"It will not work," Arquen replied. "The shield will not be completed so long as you stay in place!"

"I knew it!" Ritchie pumped his fist. He flipped a switch and the Golden Jet transformed into its giant robot mode. The robot set itself down, and just to be sure, let off some covering fire.

"ATTABOY, METOXEN!" Sean shouted. Looking at his dash, he found what he was looking for. "I haven't told you guys this, but I think we can use mini versions of our Zords! Press the button marked 'mini'!"

He did and the other Rangers followed. Street-sized versions of their zords popped out. They raced forward under the line of fire while the Golden Jet visibly strained to stay standing. That must have been a strong shield.

"Metoxen, once we're through, you can let go and get out of your zord," said Sean. "Alright boys, HERE WE GO! I'M TELLIN' YA'LL, IT'S A SAAA-BO-TAAAAAGGGE!"

The miniature zords zipped past the Golden Jet's legs, allowing the zord to get out of the way of the cloaking deflector shield, transforming back into a jet and taxiing up to the edge of the base.

A company of Suitroops raced up to the cars as they skidded to a stop. The Rangers immediately emerged from their zords, leaped and landed in front of them. Ritchie joined them soon after. They were back to wearing their old suits, albeit with new black leggings borrowed from the Milwaukee replacement suits.

Fitting for the setting, the Rangers faced the Elves down. It looked like the seconds before the Gunfight at the OK Corral.

"Alright!" Sean announced. "We can do this the easy way, or we can bust the place up!"

" _Surrender_!" the lead Suitroop ordered.

"You wish to surrender to us? Very well, we accept!"

" _FIRE!_ " The microsecond after the first Suitroop fired the first shot, the Rangers spun their boot tires and charged forward. Sean, ever the eager one, socked the Suitroop that shot first dead where the jaw would be.

The Suitroops tried to fight back. Sean countered, throwing a flurry of punches and kicks. It's his specialty. He grabbed a Suitroop, tossed it into the others and then kicked them hard, making them fall down like bowling pins. He wound his right arm up and with a mighty roar, delivered a powerful one-two-three punch combo that sent Suitroops flying. Then he wound up his leg and delivered a powerful roundhouse kick that knocked one of the Suitroops into the ground. Mechanical arms reached to grab him, but he fought them off and double-kicked the Suitroop reaching for him. Looking at Kevin,

The Suitroops closed in on him while he grappled with a particularly stubborn trooper. Seeing this, he staggered backwards to escape, but the Suitroops got to him. However, he lifted the Suitroop he still grappled with onto his shoulders, spun around with that Suitroop's legs knocking its comrades around, and finally delivered the Attitude Adjustment. But that wasn't the end, and he fought off the next wave of Suitroops coming at him, drawing his GP Sword and hacking and slashing at the enemies. Blocking and parrying one last Suitroop, he finally disposed of it and broke through, and he saw Arquen.

He'd already summoned his sword and tore through the Suitroops like Kleenex. As much as they were obviously programmed to fight their masters as well as humans, Arquen was their match. One Suitroop foolishly lunged for him, but he swiftly ducked underneath it and cut it clear in half. Without looking behind him, he stabbed the next incoming Suitroop coming up from behind and cut a charging one in two. He may have looked like he fought wildly, but he moved so fast that his precise strikes only looked to be wild. But he knew the Suitroops, and didn't let up. To his right,

Maria thrust an elbow, then her dagger, while spinning on her heels, into the bodies of hapless Suitroops. Without putting her foot down from a kick, she double-kicked one, pivoted on the foot still on the ground and whopped the Suitroop into another. Finally bringing her foot down, she looked for an opening to make a break for the buildings. Several Suitroops figured her plan out and cut off the route she wanted to take to the right, stopping her in her tracks. That didn't deter her, though, and she just bowled through them like pins, tossed them aside and glanced to her right to find,

Hitomi struggled against the Suitroops, holding off two on her left and right, while kicking the one in front of her to keep it at bay. Throwing her weight into her left arm, she shoved the Suitroop into the One in front of her. She punched the Suitroop on her right with her now-free left hand. She lunged forward, clotheslining both the Suitroops, and then moved on to more, kicking and flipping about. A Suitroop tackled her in the stomach, but she braced her legs, spun her boot wheels and pushed it forward, and finally broke through the crowd, and saw that,

Removing his axe embedded in the Suitroop's head, Ritchie stepped aside so that the Suitroop could fall over and he could kick at another one. The next attacking Suitroop lunged for his knees, but he saw it coming and leapt in the air. The Suitroop crashed into a couple more. When he landed, he converted his weapon into a blaster and shot 3 Suitroops that had tried to catch him. Another Suitroop lunged for him, reaching for his axe, but he tossed it in the air, grabbed the Suitroop's arm and pulled it in. Then he caught the axe and shot two more Suitroops before shooting the one in his grip.

Now that he'd taken care of the first wave of Suitroops, Sean broke through. Dressed in armor right out of  _Lord of the Rings_ , elven soldiers emerged from some of the buildings to do battle. The Rangers regrouped in the middle of the base's main plaza, but the elven soldiers quickly surrounded them. But that was no big issue for Sean.

"Alright, remember the plan?" he asked. "Kevin, Arquen, you and I take out the base commander. Metoxen, Maria, Hitomi, take out those robot thingies.

"Alright, LET'S  _MOVE_!"

The Rangers split up. Sean, Kevin and Arquen forged straight ahead. The other three broke off to the south, their left. Sean, Kevin and Arquen went straight for the enemy soldiers, knocking them aside with the blunt ends of their weapons, and disarming them, too.

Fighting their way through their gauntlet, Hitomi and Maria wove in between the soldiers while Ritchie drove straight through. As they passed by a building, Maria noticed a poster hanging on the wall. Maria looked the poster over and sneered. The poster, an image of Ragnar's bust looking off to the right (his left), above some elven text made her cringe. She drew her dagger. Then she carved the word "FASCISTA" all over it, even carving a familiar mustache style on Ragnar's effigy. "Ugh, I don't want to think about Franco," she said.

But when she returned to the trio, Ritchie gestured like he was confused. "Whose moustache is  _that_!?"

"Uh, Franco's?" she asked rhetorically.

"Not, you know… Mr. H?"

Maria spun around. "Wait,  _that's_ who you're comparing him to!? I've been thinking he was Franco for months!"

"Technically he's more like Tojo," Hitomi corrected.

"Why Franco!?" Ritchie asked.

"Because my grandpa escaped him, I know him more!" Maria replied.

"Waitwaitwait!" Ritchie spat. "We're wasting time arguing over who to compare Ragnar to. He's a fascist, religious fundamentalist, military dictator. All of them at the same time!"

Hitomi and Maria looked at each other and nodded. With nothing to argue about, they turned back south.

"By the way, what's that smell?" Hitomi asked.

:-:-:-: PRGPX :-:-:-:

Major Lelleldorin, a 50-year veteran and the base commander, burst into the base's command room, slamming the door open with his cape dramatically billowing behind him. "WHAT IS GOING ON?!" he bellowed.

"We are under attac—"

"I  _KNOW_ WE ARE UNDER ATTACK!" he roared at the scared soldier. "WHERE ARE OUR DEFENSES?!"

"They have been compromised!" the solider answered, trying to suppress his sarcastic captain obvious voice.

"Then we scramble the  _other_ defenses!" Major Lelldorin replied through gritted teeth. " _GOD!_ I AM SURROUNDED BY  _BUFFOONS!_ " No one dared answer him by saying that this very reaction was why he never received the promotion he had been begging for for years.

The shrill sound of the alarm pierced the room, worsening the room's urgent atmosphere. The same soldier checked a holo-monitor and sharply gasped. "Three Rangers have gotten inside the building!"

"That I needed to know!" Maj. Lelldorin shouted. "Hold them outside! And contact Alfheim! Until then, to your posts! We will show them our elven superiority!"

The hallway outside was not a bland, white hallway, but it was probably the first example of interior elven architecture Sean and Kevin had ever seen. Wavy designs and patterns wove their way across the walls and ceiling, like arches. Those patterns mixed with brown and red, making it look like a tunnel of trees. But the hallways gave the elves and Suitroops a defensive advantage, as they formed a phalanx-like formation tens of rows thick that practically challenged the three Power Rangers that just entered the building to break through.

They accepted with gusto, charging the elven phalanx head-on until Arquen leapt over front line, soared like he was in  _Crouching Tiger_  and landed in the middle of the melee, and Sean and Kevin followed suit. Together, they tore through the mob.

Sean was pressing his spinning cuff against a Suitroop's head while repeatedly punching it. He'd already broken the Suitroop in half, but he'd turned the Suitroop into a mangled mess with pieces breaking off left and right. Then, he wound his fist up and threw one final punch that knocked the Suitroop down the hall. The elven soldiers and Suitroops opened fire. He feinted left and right in between the blasts, moving his feet as if he was on the ice. Then he jumped in the air and vaulted off the wall, twisting and turning his body like a cat's to kick the Suitroops and soldiers around and break through.

That left Kevin with an opening to shoot up the security blasters that just popped out of the ceiling. Despite ramming the wall with Sean and Arquen, Kevin stayed back to provide covering fire as Sean and Arquen laid waste to their enemies. But he specifically targeted the soldiers, making an effort to only give them non-lethal wounds. However, he didn't get every single one of them, and the ones that slipped by attacked either Sean and Arquen or himself. One Suitroop did get past his shots and the last two, but Kevin met it with a hard right punch to where its jaw should be.

Unknowingly imitating a famous red-headed samurai, Arquen turned his sword around and whacked the soldiers around and aside with the sword's blunt side. But that hard-hitting mercy was not reserved for incoming Suitroops. He turned his sword around and struck them with the sword's blade and went back to the blunt side for the soldiers. But a Suitroop and a soldier coming towards him challenged that. But he managed it by slashing the Suitroop and punching the soldier. Then a young soldier ran up to him, yelling loudly. But Arquen ended his delusions of grandeur with a right hook knocking him aside.

"TRAITOR!" the soldier shouted.

"Listen, son," Arquen cut him off. "There comes a time when someone must decide what they stand for. I have decided to stand against tyranny and genocide. It is up to regular elves like you to do the same. I know I am doing the right thing and—"

A Suitroop had snuck up behind him and was about to get him, but Sean went all DYNAMIC ENTRY and smashed the Suitroop.

"To be short; fight tyranny! Resist! You have time to do it!" Arquen told the soldier before following Sean and Kevin down the corridor.

But blaster fire met them the moment they turned another corner. The elves had set up a machine gun position at the end of the T-intersection corridor, effectively pinning them there. Kevin hurried to the other side of the T-intersection and returned fire, leaning out to shoot, then pulling back. Sean followed shortly. He drew his Octane Blaster and also promptly returned fire. Arquen was the third one to return fire.

But Sean growled. "We can't waste time here, we'll be sitting ducks!" he groaned. He pulled a device half the size of a baseball out of his utility belt. "As soon as this thing blows up, take 'em out!" He shouted to Arquen. The former general nodded.

"Kevin, cover me!" he ordered. Kevin leaned around the corner and opened fire. Then Sean stepped out and threw the grenade against the wall. Then the grenade exploded. As the dust settled and the soldiers tried to regain their bearings, Arquen jumped out from behind the corner, ran up to them and cut the machine gun in half. Then he stabbed the Suitroop and knocked the soldiers out with a single kick.

"Clear!" he shouted, allowing Sean and Kevin to emerge from their cover spots.

Lelldorin could hear the carnage outside his door. Shaking like a leaf about to fall off a tree, he stood behind his soldiers as they anxiously waited for the inevitable. But he kept glancing back at the door behind him, sometimes motioning to that door. But he held his ground to put up a façade of courage before his soldiers.

"Stand firm, fellows!" he declared, hoping to minimize the shaking in his voice. "If we die, we must die with blood and honor! Remember what Commander Ragnar told us about why we fight these humans; We must secure the existence of our species and a future for elven children!"

"Little pig, little pig, left me come in!" a muffled voice called from the other side. "Not by the hair on your chinny-chin-chin? Then I'll huff, and I'll puff, and I'll kick your ass in!" A white-gloved fist connected to a red spandex-wearing arm burst through the door. The arm retracted and Sean's unhelmeted face poked through the hole, wearing a mixed crazed and shit-eating grin, and shouting,

"Heeeeeere's JOHNNY!"

"FIRE!" Lelldorin shouted. Sean retracted his face from the hole as the elven soldiers opened fire. Then a white gloved hand connected to blue spandex reached through the hole in the door and tossed a black ball in. White smoke filled the room, enveloping Lelldorin and the soldiers. So they didn't see Sean, Kevin and Arquen rush into the room until they felt their fists striking them. Lelldorin tried to make for the door, but a hand grabbed his collar, shouted, "EAT FIST!" punched him, forced him against the floor and pinned him there.

Then the smoke cleared, Sean, Kevin and Arquen stood victorious over their captives.

"Good work, gentlemen—I mean, gentleman and gentle-elf," said Sean. The three Rangers removed their helmets. Lelldorin scowled at the sight of Arquen.

"TRAITOR!" Lelldorin shouted.

"Nice to see you too, Lelldorin," Arquen said while pretending to tip his hat. "I am surprised you are all the way out here, considering you love to kiss Ragnar's ass."

"YOU WILL BE DEFEATED AND ELFKIND WILL RULE THE EARTH ONCE AGAIN!" Lelldorin shouted.

"Pay no heed to Lelldorin," said Arquen. "He is a true believer and a coward at the same time." Lelldorin's soldiers turned to glare at him.

"Alright, let's see what kind of goodies the computer can give us. Arquen, if you'd be so kind."

"The pleasure is all mine," Arquen bowed as he walked over to the spot where the computer would be. They waited for a couple of moments before Arquen expanded a 3D holographic screen, and got to work. "Now, where can we find information?" the former general asked himself. On Sean's gesture, Kevin walked over next to the former general.

"I think Operation Ragnarok might be the one we're looking for," he said.

Arquen paused and turned to Sean. "Do you still not trust me?" he asked.

"It's a precaution," said Sean. "Just get to work." Arquen didn't like Sean's explanation, but did go back to work.

:-:-:-: Power Rangers GPX :-:-:-:

The large warehouse loomed in front of Ritchie, Maria and Hitomi shortly after they started in that direction. Suitroops and soldiers put up heavy resistance, to neither of their surprise. What did surprise them was their enemies' movements.

Soldiers and Suitroops, however thin they were, surrounded them from 12, 3, 9 and even 6 o'clock. The Rangers were used to getting surrounded, but it momentarily caught them off guard and gave the enemies an opening that almost cost our heroes the fight.

The first Suitroop ran up behind Ritchie, grabbed his wrists and forced them behind his back while Maria and Hitomi helplessly watched. Fortunately the Oneida rocket didn't panic. As the Suitroop pushed him, he swung his leg forward. Then he swung it backwards. He hit the Suitroop's thigh. The robot let him go. He spun around, swinging his Gold Axe and chopped the Suitroop's head off. He turned to the others. He dodged a soldier, punched a Suitroop and kicked a soldier. Another Suitroop tried to trap him from behind. Ritchie ducked. When he stood up, he shot the Suitroop's midsection.

Maria had no time to watch in shock. A gang of Suitroops were upon her in an instant. Spinning like a top on her left foot, she roundhouse kicked them all. A soldier ran up to her. She skipped backwards. The soldier swung his sword at her. She kicked it at, missed, but her outside block stopped the second strike. Then she kicked the soldier away. Drawing her Daggers, she blocked a soldier's sword strike and counterpunched. The punch threw the soldier backwards into a Suitroop crowd. She ran forward, hacking and slashing at Suitroops, and knocking soldiers aside before breaking through.

Hitomi spun, skipped and danced among the Suitroops and soldiers, twirling the Am Staff to block and strike. A soldier greeted her, prepping to strike her. He swung his sword. She stepped out of the way, and whacked his stomach. As he doubled over, she jumped and vaulted off him, thrusting the blade into a Suitroop's chest. Then she stabbed the ground, jumped off and swung around the staff, kicking soldiers and Suitroops before landing. She blocked a soldier's sword, parried it, knocked him off with her staff, and stabbed a Suitroop's stomach. That too gave her the opening she needed.

Now the three ran away from the soldiers and Suitroops. More came up to them to try to stop them. They knocked them out of the way. But there were still too many.

Ritchie growled. He converted his axe into a blaster and started shooting. Maria and Hitomi overtook him. They ran up to the soldiers. Maria threw one of her daggers at a Suitroop, taking it out. Then she pulled it out of the Suitroop's chest and kicked a soldier down. Then Hitomi struck a Suitroop and knocked a soldier out of the way. Two Suitroops came on them from behind, but Ritchie shot them both… the Suitroops, that is.

"Come on!" Ritchie shouted. He took off running towards the hangars, with the women in tow. "Hey, have you noticed it was the three white guys getting to do all the good stuff?" he asked.

"Yeah, now that you mention it!" Maria answered. "I mean, they have a reason, but come on,  _precioso!_ "

Sean felt the need to sneeze while he sat in Lelldorin's chair with his feet up on a counter. "AH-CHOO!"

"Bless you," said Kevin.

"Was someone talking about me?"

"What are you talking about?" Arquen asked.

"Eh, just something I picked up in Japan," said Sean. "By the way, did anyone notice it was just us three white guys?" His voice didn't sound happy.

"Oh, damn," said Kevin.

Getting back to the three non-white Power Rangers, they easily approached the main hangar holding the God Warrior-like mecha currently under work.

The work inside was going smoothly, considering this was a 10,000-year-old super weapon that may or may not have inspired countless myths of destruction across all human cultures. Because they were built by the Zordonians at least 5,000 years before humans started writing, it's almost impossible to tell.

That didn't matter when Hitomi, Maria and Ritchie burst through the door. In the front, Ritchie announced their pretense with a purposefully-half-assed "Indian war whoop"—he didn't even raise his voice—before shouting, "LET'S PLAY COWBOYS AND INDIANS! YOU BE THE GENOCIDAL COWBOYS, AND I'M THE BRAVE INDIAN RESISTING IT!"

The Suitroop on top of the weapon's left leg fired first. It missed. Hitomi answered, firing an arrow at it. A firefight erupted, but only between Hitomi, Maria and the Suitroops. Ritchie threw his axe at a control panel near the giant mecha. The axe hit the control panel, throwing sparks at the elf working on it. A crane hanging above, attached the the ceiling, detached and fell onto the mecha. It crashed into the mecha's chest.

Ritchie dashed for the control panel amidst the shooting and removed his axe from it. He looked at the robot. There was hardly a scratch on it. Ritchie growled. When the next Suitroop came up to him, he turned towards the Suitroop and axed it (heh) in the neck. But he was so focused on that Suitroop that he didn't see one coming up behind him. But Maria had his back, by driving her daggers into the Suitroop's back. Her yell alerted Ritchie, and he sighed when he saw the Suitroop behind him.

" _Gracias_ ," he said.

" _De nada_ ," she answered. "By the way, are you interested in a triple date?"

"Triple date?"

"Yeah," she said. "Sean and I, you and Janet, Liz and Arquen! At the Red Rock Saloon!"

"The cowboy bar?"

"I'm in America! I want to see some cowboys!"

"I've seen cowboys! I've been to Texas! They're not special!"

"But I wanna go!"

"I won't drink! And neither will Janet!"

"You can be our designated drivers!"

"Deal," he nodded.

An arrow flew past them, embedding itself in a Suitroop's chest. Two more arrows embedded in its head and neck. Maria slashed the Suitroop, cutting its head off. They'd obviously been distracted, but now they went back to kicking Suitroop ass.

Ritchie broke through the line of Suitroops and flipped over some of the soldiers to make his way into the foreman's office overlooking the hangar. Once inside, he could see that there were two of the giant mechas, making him groan, and the lack of damage on the first one made him sigh. As he was momentarily distracted, he almost didn't see the foreman's sword until his HUD warned him about it. He dodged the strike and punched the foreman twice, first in the stomach and then on the right cheek. He looked for a way to destroy the two mechas, but couldn't read the text. Compounding the matter, his HUD could not translate said text for him. Why, oh why did the white boys have to run off?

Luckily, the North Woods elves provided them with some charges.

He phoned up Arquen first, and then the bag teleported into his hands. Feeling dramatic, he shot the window and jumped out of it to find the Suitroops and soldiers all taken care of.

"Red, we've taken the hangar!" he announced.

" _Excellent!_ " Sean replied. " _You got enough explosives?_ "

Ritchie made an unsure sound when he looked at the charges in his bag, and then back to the God Warrior-things inside the hangar. You couldn't see it, but he clenched his teeth beneath his visor. But when he looked up at Maria and Hitomi, they figured the answer out. "That's a negative,  _precioso_ ," said Maria.

" _Dammit_ ," Sean grumbled. " _Fuck it, let's just call the Air Force!_ "

Ritchie chuckled. "Way ahead of you." He punched some numbers into his morpher. He gestured to the ladies. They picked up the soldiers, the foreman and others and ran out of the hangar. They got out in time for the Golden Jet and Silver Bullet to fly past, dropping their payloads on the hangar. It blew up in a fantastic explosion big enough to make Michael Bay envious. But, just to be sure, Ritchie checked the HUD.

"Target destroyed!" he announced. Maria and Hitomi jumped up and cheered like little girls, which is okay, by the way.

The celebration was short-lived though. An elf wearing a prisoner outfit—it looked like a prisoner outfit—crawled up to them and tugged on Ritchie's boot. "Power Rangers," he said weakly. "Help us. Follow me."

:-:-:-: PRGPX :-:-:-: 


	28. The Nevada Base, Pt. 2

They followed the prisoner to a bare spot on the edge of the base, still dragging the foreman behind them. They looked around, but smelled a strong odor that made Maria retch. The prisoner turned around and pointed at the foreman. The foreman glared at the prisoner, but Maria pointed her blaster at the foreman's neck. He growled, but pulled a device out of his pocket. For a moment, a sinister, deceptive grin flashed on his lips. But Maria threw him to the ground and grabbed his wrist, forcing him to open his fingers and let the device go. Ritchie picked it up and handed it to the prisoner, who pointed it at the bare edge and pressed a button.

A series of long buildings appeared, surrounded by people in similar gray uniforms. As the people stood up and approached them, the stench suddenly became overpowering, forcing the Rangers to deactivate their helmets so they could cover their noses and mouths. Some of the prisoners rushed up to them, others stayed behind, the wariness evident in their expressions. But for the exultant few that approached them, the weariness on their expressions was just as evident, and it was hard for them to really show enthusiasm.

But the Rangers were dumbfounded. They walked towards the buildings, seeing the people around them—elves, humans, and… dwarves? There were smaller people among them, and they looked like dwarves from the movies, only they had no beards. The humans among them were the most relieved to see them. They stood and crowded around them immediately, forcing the Rangers to push them off.

All of them were obviously visibly malnourished. They were all gaunt and emaciated. Some of them had no hair. Others looked like they couldn't stand, or standing up could kill them. At least one human tried to stand up, but immediately keeled over.

Maria gasped and covered her mouth, sobbing. Hitomi hugged her. As for Ritchie, he was clearly torn between disbelief and anger. He still followed the prisoner that lead them there to another building and let him over the door. That same stench, like rotting flesh, food and body odor, burst out of the doorframe like a backdraft. Ritchie had to cover his nose and eyes, and backed away. The prisoner went inside and called out to everyone. The room was pitch black, but Ritchie could see people laying on bunks that stretched all the way to the end. But he couldn't go in because of how bad it smelled.

"Is everyone in here alright?" he asked after gathering his courage. Then he cursed himself. Why the hell would he ask that? "It's alright. I'm a Power Ranger. We're here to help!"

The commotion was quiet at first, but reached a fever pitch in no time. The prisoner who led them there had to calm everyone down, although he likely didn't want to do it. Ritchie made an apologetic gesture to him and rubbed his hair, which had been growing since the end of hockey season. He sighed, turned around and kicked the dirt, screaming as well.

He called Sean up.

" _Yeah?_ " Sean asked.

"Hey, Red, um, we just found something."

Sean paused. He didn't like the sound of that. " _I don't like the sound of that. What is it?_ "

"Well, um… it's kind of hard to describe." He paused. The term was on the tip of his tongue. He licked and bit his lips, grit his teeth and looked around. Everyone was clamoring around him, Maria and Hitomi. He'd seen similar scenes in movies or history books that drew bad memories for his people, but more importantly, were living hell for the people living it. He didn't want to use the term, but as his expression changed, he recognized that he might not have any other choice but to use the phrase.

:-:-:-: Power Rangers GPX :-:-:-:

Sean didn't like Ritchie's silent hesitation, either. With his helmet off, Kevin could clearly see the concern in Sean's face. Then, Ritchie said the words.

" _I hate to say this_ ," said Ritchie, " _But it looks like a nazi concentration camp_."

That "N-word" triggered something inside Sean. His Bavarian great-Great-Grandfather, Hans Liebricht, had escaped Germany in 1925, having seen the writing on the wall that a certain someone could gain power. His son, Bastian, was a member of Company E of the 506th Parachute Infantry, 101st Airborne Division—the famed Band of Brothers, and was there to see one of those very camps in person. Sean's teeth clenched. His fist also clenched. He also let out a low growl that caught Kevin's and Arquen's attention. The elf turned around to see Sean hunched over.

And then he quickly turned to Lelldorin. Arquen had never seen Sean so angry. His eyes had flashed wide open, and he glared at Lelldorin, as if he was summoning up the strength not to kill him. Arquen took the opportunity to look at Kevin. But the Irishman looked on, wearing a neutral expression. However, he gently moved closer to Sean.

His mouth was still closed, as if trying to stay calm, but Arquen knew that he could bite Lelldorin's face off if he wanted to. Several agonizing seconds passed before Sean finally said, through grit teeth, "Concentration camp?"

"For the enemies of the state," Lelldorin replied. "They des—don't kill me! I was just following orders!"

"Just... following... orders?!" Sean said through those still-grit teeth. He lunged and punched Lelldorin's left cheek so hard, Arquen could hear the jawbone breaking, and the BANG when Lelldorin's head hit the floor. Sean was instantly on him, strangling him, even though Arquen could see, despite his obscured view, that Lelldorin was in bad shape. "YOU NAZI SON OF A BITCH!" Sean roared. "MILLIONS DIED AT THE HANDS OF BASTARDS LIKE YOU! FUCK YOU!"

"Sean!" Kevin lunged forward and pulled him off Lelldorin, kicking and screaming.

"Calm down, Sean, he was just—" he stopped when Kevin made a cutting gesture at his neck. As if he wanted to make things worse.

"WHAT!?" Sean roared.

Arquen tensed up, and then turned to Lelldorin. "I am disgusted," he said. "To think my people have stooped to such a level, after Ragnar has cited those very monsters as examples of humanity's evil. What have we become, Lelldorin? We are no better than those bastards, and we have allowed ourselves to become this way! Sean, remain calm. But I believe your anger is understandable."

"Unfortunately, genocide is in my history, too," said Kevin. "Millions of Irish died because of a potato famine, and our colonial masters saw us as something less than human. And I can only imagine what Ritchie's feeling right now."

:-:-:-: PRGPX :-:-:-:

Ritchie was on his knees, bent over, founding his fists in the dirt and screaming. "GOD! FUCKING! DAMMIIITTTT!" he roared, punctuating each word by pounding the dirt with both fists. His roaring turned into loud, sobbing crying, with tears pouring out of his eyes, like he was a toddler, but that's obviously not meant to sound like he was immature. It was more of a primal, anguished crying of someone who was so angry and distraught that crying was the only thing his body must have thought it could do.

And his visceral anger also made him curse not just Ragnar, but Nazis, Christopher Columbus, John Smith, Andrew Jackson, George Custer, Wounded Knee, Indian Boarding Schools, the Washington football team, the Cleveland baseball team and John Wayne. Maria, helping some of the prisoners, watched, wondering when he was going to finish, but understanding that he needed to do this, since his grievances were legitimate.

He finally finished, not because he decided to "man up", but because it was becoming clear that he was crying himself out. His wailing turning into sobs, then into hiccups and then calmed down until he stopped. He got up and gingerly walked over to the women and sat down.

Maria tried to think of a good question to ask him. "So, um, are you okay?" she asked.

"No," he said sharply.

"Right, right, obviously," she said. "I should probably shut up now."

"Thanks for trying. At least. And by the way, FUCK the Pocahontas movie!"

"Hey!" Hitomi objected.

"Hitomi, you come from a country that tried to colonize the whole Pacific!" Ritchie snapped.

"But, I—the teacher—"

"The Rape of Nanking!? Unit 731!? The Bataan Death March!? The comfort women!? Your government—which your family has a lot of influence in—still hasn't done enough to apologize for everything they've done!"

Now it was Hitomi's turn to cry, and Ritchie did feel guilty about it. Maria patted her friend's back. "Sorry," she said, "But part of being a good citizen is criticizing your country when it deserves it. And any good Japanese person should not only be ashamed, but angry at what they did then."

"Good citizens!" Ritchie spat/scoffed. "'Good' citizens enabled this! 'Good' citizens only criticize the government in private, never in public! 'Good' citizens make the 'It's not my problem' excuse all the time! 'Good' citizens never have to worry because they're not the ones the tyrant comes after, and 'good' citizens only care about living comfortably! FUCK 'good' citizens!"

"… I meant an engaged citizen who speaks truth to power and doesn't take the government's shit, no matter what," she said.

"Yeah, that's different. Sorry."

"No, I actually agree with you about people who care more about being comfortable than the suffering of their fellow citizens," said Maria. "I don't blame you for getting angry, because you have every right to be."

"Thanks."

"I think we should start asking around," Maria said. "We need to know how long this has been going on." She got up to speak to someone, and then she paused and sat back down in the dirt. "I don't know if anyone here speaks English."

" _¿Ingles_?" someone asked. " _No hablo ingles._ "

" _Ay, lo siento—¿hablan espanol!?_ " She asked that with a tone of complete surprised.

" _Si,_ " said the person, who was a man just as gaunt and emaciated as everyone else, and had a darker skin tone than Maria. " _Soy de Ecuador._ "

" _Soy de Venezuela!_ " Maria answered.

"Perfect!" Ritchie breathed. "Okay, um… just tell him who we are first."

" _Somos los Power Rangers_ ," she said. The man was not surprised. Ritchie smacked his forehead.

"Okay, um… just ask what everyone is doing here."

" _¿Qué están haciendo todos aquí?_ "

" _Nos vimos obligados a construir el robot gigante,_ " the man replied. " _Somos esclavos_."

"Slaves. Of course," said Maria.

"I understood enough to know they're building the robot," said Ritchie. "They must not have wanted us to know. Should we tell him we already knew about the camps?"

"I want to know how long he's been here for," she said. She turned to the Ecuadoran. Ritchie remembered that he needed to record this, so he pulled his morpher out, found the recording feature and pushed it in front of him. " _¿_ _Cuanto tiempo llevas aqui?_ "

" _¿_ _Yo?_ "

" _Si._ "

" _Tal vez ... ¿seis meses?_   _Pero puedo haberlo olvidado._ "

"What?"

"He thinks it might be six months, but he's forgotten."

"Ask him what he does," said Ritchie. Maria immediately asked him.

" _He_ has had to work on the armored plating. He was also forced to work on the site where they dug the robot up, which is…  _¿Qué tan lejos estaba?_ Fifteen kilometers north of here."

"How long have they been working on the robot?"

"Four months. The shifts are long. And they've had to work on it all day and all week with no break, little food and little water."

"What about the other humans?"

"He says they go through them like Chelsea goes through managers," she said, which made her laugh just a little bit. "The elf guards work them to the bone. And so many of them have died, only to be replaced by more, he's stopped trying to talk to anyone."

"What about the dwarves?"

"He says they've done most of the work. And the guards treat them just as bad as or worse than the humans. "

"I think there's political prisoners here, too," Ritchie suggested. "Just like those photos the resistance gave us. Ask him if he knows any of the elves."

"Unfortunately, he says he couldn't speak with most of the elves, since they don't speak Spanish."

"Damn," Ritchie growled. "We'll have to get a hold of Arquen or Kevin to talk to one of the elves."

"What about that one elf who brought us here?"

"It's possible," Ritchie said, looking over his shoulder to try to find said elf. Unfortunately, he couldn't find him. "Damn."

They heard the electric whirring of their zords' engines and looked to find the scaled-down-to-street-car-sized GT Racer pulling up to the edges of the camp. Sean climbed out of the car, his helmet taken off—but he carried it—looking very distraught as well. He stopped when the camp's stench hit his nose, forcing him to cover it with his gloved right hand. Ritchie and Maria stood, with Maria helping the still-crying Hitomi. However, she let go and rushed up to Sean, throwing her arms around his neck and burying her face in the crook of his neck, a gesture he returned by hugging her tightly. They shared a quiet conversation, because Ritchie could see Sean's lips moving, and Maria nodding and shaking her head, for several moments before Sean gently kissed the top of her head and led her back to the others.

"Kevin had me come out here so I could get away from the base's commander," he said. "I broke his jaw."

"He deserved it," said Ritchie.

He filled Sean in on what they knew, and Sean also told him the story of his great-grandpa Bastian discovering the concentration camp.

"We're going to have to find someone we can talk to," said Ritchie.

"What happened to that elf who led you here?"

"I dunno," Maria said, holding onto his arms.

"Let's just find someone—oh, here he comes."

Ritchie gestured to the elf approaching them. He gestured them to sit down, which they did.

"How are we going to understand this guy?" Ritchie asked.

"I'll call Kevin and Arquen," Sean replied, lifting his gauntlet up so he could get a hold of either one of them.

"Where's Kevin?" Ritchie asked.

"He's sticking with Arquen," Sean answered. "I trust him well enough to handle him in case he needs to."

He rang Kevin up and held the gauntlet to the elf.

"Alright, what's his name?" Sean asked.

" _He says his name isn't important right now,_ " Kevin answered. " _He only needs to tell the story first._ "

"That's not helping," Ritchie grumbled.

" _Those are his terms. He'll tell us at the end._ "

"Fine," Sean groaned. "How long has he been here?"

" _He says that he forgot. They don't keep track of time here, and sometimes the shifts are from sun up to sundown. And those are the good shifts._ "

"We know they're slaves," said Ritchie.

" _Do you want my help or not?_ "

"UGH! Fine!"

" _Continue, Sean._ "

"Who did what?" Sean continued.

" _He says the dwarves mostly worked on the mecha, the humans did most of the menial labor, and the elven prisoners also worked on the mecha and menial labor."_

"What kind of menial labor?"

" _Things we can do around the house, but with improper equipment?_ "

"That's not what I meant."

" _Clean the bathrooms, clean the floors, et cetera, et cetera._ "

Sean scoffed. "Forget it. Ask him how he got here."

" _He says he was arrested the day that Ragnar took power in Alfheim. He'd been a vocal critic of the military for years, and they came to him in the morning. He says the soldiers mock him every day. He thought he could handle it, but it got to him_."

"It can get to anyone," said Sean. He thought about the kind of abuse any kind of prisoner could go through.

" _He doesn't regret criticizing or mocking the military._ "

"He shouldn't. Let's go on. What do they feed these people?"

" _Maggoty bread and 'meat' that's almost certainly filled with parasites. Where do you think the—EW!"_

"Yeah, that's a pleasant scent," Ritchie remarked.

" _Most of the starvation didn't start until March or February. Now it's gone downhill since then._ "

"Hey Arquen, how long does it take for elves to die of starvation?"

" _Depending on the situation, it can take as long to die as it would for a human_ ," he answered.

"Lovely," Sean said sarcastically. "Given how these people look, I suspect they've gone without proper food for a long time."

" _I suspect the work has something to do with it,_ " said Kevin.

"Makes sense," said Maria. "Kevin, did he see any evidence of this up close?"

" _An inmate he refers to as a 'friend' died die because he was forced to work for two straight weeks with barely a break—only a couple hours sleep every night. And the so-called 'food' he ate wreaked havoc on his digestive system._ "

"Oof," said Sean.

" _He says the camp guards and base commanders made an effort to make the prisoners suffer,_ " Kevin continued. " _Perhaps this is why everyone is in such bad shape._ "

"Are there any women—females here?"

" _No. This is a male-only camp. He says the prison camp isn't new, it's existed for years before Ragnar seized power. Again, this may be why everyone is in terrible shape. A lot of these prisoners were here before him. And since Ragnar was the ruler of the elven state in all but title for years, it wouldn't surprise me._ "

"So Ragnar ran the justice system?" Ritchie asked.

" _This is a military camp,"_ Arquen interjected.

"Okay then," said Sean. "Thank you for elfsplaining."

" _What is that_?" Arquen asked.

"Moving on," said Sean, "When did they start working on the giant robot?"

" _Some time in February. He believes the base commanders were under a tight deadline._ "

" _I can verify that,_ " said Arquen. " _Internal memos say that Ragnar has been angry at the delays_."

"We already knew they're under a deadline," said Sean. "How did they dispose of the bodies?"

" _They just lay them out in the desert to rot_."

"Perfect. What kind of people are here?"

" _Trade and craftselves, blue-collar workers, intellectuals, religious and ethnic minorities, humans and dwarves—obviously—some of Ragnar's former supporters, his critics… anyone who ran afoul of him in the past few months, mainly in December and January._ "

"Do they have a gas chamber?"

" _No, this is a labor camp._ "

"Well  _that's_ a relief! Not!"

" _Do you have anything else you want to ask him?_ "

"I don't think so," Sean answered. "I think we get more answers in the documents we're stealing."

" _He does say he recognized Arquen's name… And he just had some choice words for him._ "

" _I can take it,_ " the former general chimed in. " _I deserved it._ "

"How did this happen?" Hitomi asked.

" _It happened because supposedly 'good' people looked away._ "

Ritchie made an "I told you so" look and gesture.

" _And he included Arquen in that_."

" _Again, I can take it. But I'm doing something now._ "

" _You tell him!_  …  _Okay, now he sounds a little more forgiving. No, I wasn't talking to you, Arquen._ "

"Thanks anyways," said Sean. "Tell him how angry we are."

" _Well, this is surprising. He says he wants us to be angry, but not to let our hatred consume us._ "

"Well, we gotta beat Ragnar somehow!" Sean answered. "I dunno how I can mock him after this!"

" _He says that we have to mock him, anyway. We have to show him that his evil has no power over us. And mockery is one of the best ways to defeat evil. It takes his power away. And if we want to use the 'N-word'—no, not the other 'N'-word—then we can. Because it will anger him even more._

" _And he says that we're a symbol of hope—we already knew that, of course—for them. They never believed that they could be rescued, but they looked up to our strength and determination to fight Ragnar's evil, and it gave them the strength and determination to try to live. Hoping didn't work for everyone, but when you're at the lowest point, you take what you can get. It's on us to stop him. We don't have to imagine what will happen if we fail. We're looking at it right now._

 _"We can be angry, and we can hate him. Neither of those must consume us. We've already gotten under his skin through all the fights we've won. He knows we don't fear him. Fear is his weapon. It doesn't work on us. He knows we can defeat him. We_ have  _to defeat him. The world is counting on us. He covered us, after all—wait, what!?"_

"Seriously?" Sean asked. "Who is this guy?"

" _He says he's a former diplomat._ "

"I'll go with a nameless shmuck for now," said Sean. "Thank him for his help. The Army's coming soon and they'll take care of everyone else."

" _I found what we were looking for,_ " Arquen chimed in. " _Operation Ragnarok will commence on Elrond's Day, and will begin with the God-Warriors destroying a number of major cities across the globe. The operation is not expected to destroy humanity in one day, so it will be followed up with more God-Warrior attacks and major military movements. In fact, this base was being used as a staging area for an attack on Seattle, Salt Lake City and Denver._ "

"So we just saved those cities," said Sean. "That's a relief."

" _I have to say I agree with our journalist,_ " Arquen added. " _And if there is anyone who is best suited to agree with him, it is I. We must take our anger and turn it into something else; fuel to protect everything we hold dear. As for me, I refuse to let Ragnar define who I was. As for Eruvanda… Our journalist just cursed Eruvanda. Says she is also to blame for this. Believe me, she agrees._ "

"You tell him that!"

" _He just did and… our journalist friend has begrudgingly agreed._   _He also just asked how angry you got._ "

"I punched the base commander. Might've broken his jaw."

The journalist's loud, boisterous guffaw needed no translation.

Soon, the US Army arrived to secure the base and the prisoners, allowing the Rangers to leave, but not before they handed over some of the data they stole from the base's main computer.

:-:-:-: Power Rangers GPX :-:-:-:-:

Ragnar was preparing for bed when the message came for him. He was reading from the Holy Book, studying a passage on an Elven prophet when his metallic wristband beeped. He bookmarked his place, put the book down and pressed on it. A life-sized, realistic hologram of Turelie materialized in front of his chair. He looked distressed, or concerned, at least. But he kept his composure and saluted.

" _Aiya, Ragnar_ ," he said.

"What is it, Turelie?"

" _I have bad news,_ " Turelie answered. " _The Power Rangers attacked and seized our Nevada base and God-Warrior manufacturing satellite. They routed the soldiers and Suitroops, and stole a large amount of data on Operation Ragnarok._ "

Ragnar groaned and laid his head back. With this being so close to Elrond's Day… "Anything else?"

" _They also raided the labor prison camp_ ," Turelie answered. " _The United States Army now controls the base. Should we prepare a counterattack?_ "

"No," Ragnar answered. He leaned forward. This was not a good sign. "Did they leave any messages?"

" _Two, both of them sent via the base's computer. The first one read, 'All your base are belong to us.' I know not what that means, but I assume it is a human popular culture reference. The other read, 'To Ragnar; your end is coming, you Nazi scum'._ "

Ragnar roared, stood and threw the glass of wine at a portrait of himself. "HOW DARE THEY COMPARE ME TO THOSE MONSTERS!" he shouted. "I WILL TEACH THEM—" He stopped and regained his composure, adjusting his bed robe. "They are wrong about me. But we have bigger issues on our hands.

"I have no doubt they will use the information they stole to put an end to Operation Ragnarok."

" _Should I tell the rest of the military to call it off?_ "

"No," Ragnar answered. "It is too late for that now. They will doubtlessly know where we are going to attack. This will make it harder. I will make some adjustments to the planned attacks. They should not disrupt my generals' battle plans. But we must expect them to know where we are attacking and they will put up fierce resistance… Why are you wearing a human pistol, Turelie?"

Turelie looked down at her hip, then back up to Ragnar. " _I took it from a human police officer_ ," she answered. " _Is there anything else you need?"_

"No. You are dismissed, Turelie."

Turelie's hologram dissipated. Ragnar leaned back in his chair and sighed. As already mentioned, this had the potential to throw everything he'd worked for out the window in only a matter of days. Years of planning and preparation had brought him to this crucial point. He had read the legends, studied ancient texts and sent military personnel around the globe to find the ancient Zordonian mechanical weapons. It was his curse that he only came across them recently. He would have used them against the Zordonians had the humans not interfered, and then defeated them. And then he only had a few months to construct as many as he could. They were all but completed, but some were still not ready. He would have to make do with what he had. They were still more destructive and terrifying than any human weapon when used at full strength, of course.

But this raid had also opened a new possibility. For the Power Rangers, there was no turning back, now that they had gone on the offensive. And the United States had just killed Osama Bin Laden. He received the message loud and clear; the humans would take out anyone who threatened them. He could turn this into a potent propaganda message to keep the people in line, but the difficulty to stamp out the student resistance allowed them to spread their toxic message against him.

All that aside, the possibilities were clear: The Power Rangers could still stop him. And they would come to Alfheim if they were smart. He could crush them if they stayed in Madison, but coming to Alfheim meant they were going to be hard to stop. Especially if the resistance aided and abetted them. He had to act fast. He was not going to let them stop his plans. He could crush them if they interfered.

He pressed the button on his wrist again, and Turelie's hologram re-appeared. "Turelie, inform the Homeguard that we expect the Power Rangers to come to Alfheim."

:-:-:-: PRGPX :-:-:-:

Col. Greene sighed while waiting for President Obama to let him into the Oval Office, holding a file of part of the intelligence the Power Rangers had stolen in their raid. He watched the Secret Service agents talking on the phone, drawing out his wait. He had high-level security clearance. They should be letting him in right now. They gave the excuse that the President was on the phone with the UN Secretary-General, Brazilian President, Japanese Prime Minister, Irish Prime Minister and the South African President. Okay, that's not an excuse, that's a reason, and he could understand why it was taking them so long.

"Col. Greene?" the Secret Service agent asked. "The President will see you now."

Col. Greene nodded, stood up and walked past them into the Oval Office. President Obama sat at the Resolute Desk. He wasn't dressed to the nines, but in a casual business sense. The raid must have forced him to come in a hurry. He was indeed in the middle of a conference call. He could hear an Irish accent coming out of the phone.

"Col. Greene," he declared. "Please. Have a seat." He gestured to the inward-facing couches across from the Resolute Desk. President Obama stood up when Col. Greene sat down on one of them. A staffer picked up the phone, and another picked up the phone cord, and they followed the President to the couches, where he sat across from Col. Greene. "I hear you have something for me."

"We have some new intelligence for you," said Col. Greene.

"Is it from the raid earlier?" President Obama inquired.

"It is. Is that why you're talking to the other leaders?"

"That it is," President Obama answered.

" _What is it?_ " Irish  _Taoiseach_ Enda Kenny asked.

"Intelligence the Power Rangers stole from an elven base in Nevada, Mr. Prime Minister," Col. Greene answered. "We'll send all of you the intelligence, too."

"What's it about?" the voice of Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan's translator (seated behind Col. Greene) asked.

"The elves call it Operation Ragnarok," Col. Greene answered. He went off on the plan in detail while the President, and presumably the translators on the other end, intently listened. When he got to the part about the labor camp, President Obama got visibly uncomfortable, as did some of the aides, staffers and Secret Service agents. They were all visibly relieved when he moved on from that topic and onto the locations of the other bases. This time, President Obama looked visibly concerned.

"And what do you want us to do?" President Obama asked.

:-:-:-: Power Rangers GPX :-:-:-:

Driving back from the liquor store, Sean and Maria seat-danced to his latest favorite song, The Offspring's "Why Don't You Get a Job", a parody of which he'd sarcastically serenaded Daisuke with in a karaoke bar in Tokyo last June. Because he was driving, all Sean could do was bob his head from side to side. But Maria, free in the passenger's seat, moved like Shakira and some white girl at the club. An old couple in a Mercury Cougar playing something from the 40s stared at them. Sean stared back, grinned and stuck his tongue out at the couple, and they looked away, probably muttering something about those young whippersnappers and their Elvis.

Only a few hours had passed since they'd left the base in Nevada and they'd just gotten out of the debriefing with enough time to go to a liquor store and get some more beer. Then they'd have to get back to studying for finals week and preparing their next move. The events were still weighing on Sean's mind. He was fidgeting, messing with his hair and shirt. Maria took his left hand. He looked over at her. They shared a momentary silent conversation between their mutually worried eyes.

They were so caught up that they forgot that Hitomi sat behind them. And she reminded them by clearing her throat, and it also reminded Sean that the light had turned green. He accelerated right before the driver behind him beeped him.

First they drove to Rusco's house, calling to alert him along the way. They weren't going there to tell him about the labor camp. He already knew about it. They were actually going there so Hitomi could talk to Gina. She was also still visibly unnerved, and being admittedly rudely informed of Japan's imperialism and such had a bad effect on her. She still had to be reminded, of course. Maria felt bad about how she informed her, not that she informed her.

They stopped in front of Rusco's house. The Cobalt coupe was hard to get out of, so Sean got out first and Hitomi emerged after him. She ran up to the door and Sean leaned against his car, stuffing his hands in the SIU Salukis hoodie he wore. She knocked and waited a couple seconds for Rovain to come to the door. She stepped aside and then Gina came out a couple seconds later. Sean and Maria couldn't hear what they said, but it looked important. Then, they tightly hugged, staying that way for three minutes. Sean counted. Then, Hitomi turned back around and got back in the Cobalt.

They returned to the house a short time later. Sean carried a Leinenkugel Original 12-pack and Maria had some tequila that she proudly showed the despondent Eruvanda.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

"That labor camp is my fault," said the Queen. "I must have approved it, although not by choice. It must have been when I was Ragnar's puppet. But I still bear the responsibility."

"You can make it up," said Maria. "I know you can."

The Queen looked up and smiled. "Thank you, Maria."

"Any time!"

"Alright guys, gather around me!" Sean announced. "In the dining room!"

Within minutes they were gathered around the dining table. Sean stood at the head of the table, tapping on the wood, visibly lost in thought. Everyone remained in silent, rapt attention while Sean thought of what to say. He bit his lip a couple times and looked about ready to say something, only to not say it. Then he looked like he was finally ready.

"Alright, listen up. Recently, some of you brought up the possibility that we got to Alfheim," he said. "I've been very reluctant to do it because it would mean that we're giving up our ideals, to remain defenders, and not go after our enemies. But, now it's clear to me, knowing the stakes, that we can't just sit around on our ass and wait for Ragnar to attack. We have to go back on offense."

His eyes narrowed in determination, and he slammed his hands on the table. "We're going to Alfheim!"

:-:-:-: PRGPX :-:-:-:

" _I will_ not  _cut down, nor endanger in any way, a vast swath of the Amazon just to find that base!_ " snapped the heavily-accented voice of Brazilian president Dilma Rousseff.

"I never said you had to!" Col. Greene objected.

" _President Obama, who is this_?" she asked.

" _Apologies,_ " Secretary-General Ban-ki Moon chimed in. " _Col. Greene is the military leader of Project Ranger. Some of your citizens are participants._ "

"Unfortunately, President Rousseff has a point," said President Obama. "How are we going to find all these bases in the course of a week?"

"I'm worried about that too, Mr. President."

" _Need I remind you that we are hosting the World Cup in 3 years?_ "

"Madam President, if we don't do something, there won't  _be_ a World Cup!" Col. Greene objected again. President Obama held his hand out to calm him down.

"Madam President, I assure you that we have things under control."

" _You'd better!_ "

" _The Power Rangers can handle it,_ " said Mr. Moon.

" _There's only what? Six of them?_ " President Zuma inquired. " _What can they do?_ "

"They can do enough," said President Obama.

"Mr. President, I saw them myself last year," said Prime Minister Kan's translator. "But I doubt only they can stop this."

"They don't have to," said Col. Greene. "There's a lot more where they came from. And all we have to do is put up a fight."

"Colonel," President Obama started, "I don't want to be remembered as the President who oversaw humanity's extinction. And that's the least of my worries. But your assurance isn't helping."

"Sorry, Mr. President, but it seems like that's all we can do. I know we can't move enough troops to take out every single elven base. All we can do is defend. And this information will help us out."

President Obama considered for a moment. Then he spoke. "We don't have to do too much," he said. "Just fight them."

" _That's just great!_ "  _Taoiseach_  Kenny groaned.

"We know where they're attacking," said Col. Greene. "They're not going for every single major city in a day, just a lot of them. We know they'll target Sao Paolo, Tokyo, Cape Town and Dublin."

" _So we only need to move the troops? And what about evacuating civilians?_ "

Col. Greene stared at President Obama. "We'll let you take care of that," said President Obama.

"Col. Greene!" a soldier walked into the Oval Office and over to Col. Greene. Leaning down, he whispered in Col. Greene's ear. He listened intently, then his eyes widened.

"Lady and gentlemen, I have good news that will make our jobs easier," he said. "The Power Rangers are going to Alfheim."

:-:-:-: PRGPX :-:-:-:

Sean: "Next time, on  _Power Rangers GPX Supercharged!_ "

Sean: "I need you to defend…"

Rob: "It's time for me to move on."

Aaron: "Thank you all."

Arquen: "I will do my best!"

Aengus: "Are you ready?"

Sean: "No sleep 'til Alfheim!"

?: "You're the Power Rangers?"

Sean: "That's next time on  _Power Rangers GPX Supercharged!_ "

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> End chapter
> 
> WOW! That was long. So, how was it? Sorry it took me 10 months to finish this. I started getting really busy with work after this. I've been working 2 jobs and it takes up a lot of my time. I haven't been able to work on this as much, but I've dedicated myself to finishing this chapter. It was originally supposed to be shorter, but that went out the window.
> 
> And in case you're wondering why I had to pull out the "F" and "N" words out after so long, it's because I've had to. I didn't want to use either of those words because I didn't want to do something so tasteless. But far-right groups have grown stronger and bolder, and now I have no other choice but to finally drop them when talking about Ragnar. I hope you guys can understand.
> 
> In the meantime, please tell me what you think about this chapter!


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